THE    DETOUR 


A   PLAT 

BY 

OWEN  DAVIS 


MON-REFERT 


BOSTON 

LITTLE,  BROWN,  AND  COMPANY 
1922 


Copyright,  1921,  1922, 
BY  OWEN  DAVIS 


All  rights  reserved 
Published,  May, 


Application  for  the  right  of  performing  "The  Detour" 
must  be  made  to  Owen  Davis,  987  Madison  Avenue,  New 
York  City. 

No  performance  of  this  play,  professional  or  amateur, — 
or  public  reading  of  it — may  be  given  without  the  written 
permission  of  the  author  and  the  payment  of  royalty. 


PRINTED  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES  OP  AMERICA 


FOREWORD 

"  The  Detour  "  needs  no  justification  for  its  appear 
ance  in  print.  It  is  _one  of  those  studies  in  realism 
which  —  whether  seen  or  read  —  impresses  by  reason 
of  its  tremendous  sincerity.  As  such,  it  should  be 
regarded  as  an  encouraging,  an  all  too  rare  sign  of 
the  deepening  of  native  dramaturgic  art  in  the  Ameri 
can  theatre. 

The  dramatic  critic  was  right  who  declared  that, 
had  "  The  Detour  "  been  produced  as  the  work  of  an 
unknown  author,  it  would  have  been  hailed  as  the 
putting  forth,  the  flowering  of  a  rare  native  plant, 
from  which  much  might  be  expected  in  the  future.  I 
see  no  reason  why  this  should  not  apply  just  as  well 
to  a  dramatist  who,  like  Mr.  Owen  Davis,  has  been 
brought  up,  dramatically,  in  the  glare  of  melodrama, 
and  who  has  —  after  learning  the  tricks  of  his  trade  — i 
broken  from  the  type  of  play  expected  of  him,  only 
to  give  us  something  bigger,  something  more  profound, 
more  nearly  what  might  be  designated  as  an  Ameri 
can  genre  drama.  All  the  more  reason,  it  seems,  for 

us  to  rejoice  that  gold  has  turned  up as  precursor, 

we  hope,  of  a  rich  vein  to  follow. 

Sincerity  is  at  the  basis  of  any  worthy  play,  whether 
of  realism  or  of  the  imagination.  Otherwise,  painting 
things  as  they  are  degenerates  into  mere  photography 
and  usually  attracts  by  reason  of  two  cardinal  excel- 


1473.4 


vi  FOREWORD 

lences  or  faults,  according  to  your  point  of  view:  curi 
osity  and  vulgar  attractiveness.  Naturalism  is  a  can 
cerous  growth  on  the  face  of  art;  realism  is  the  ar 
rangement  of  life  as  we  know  it,  rising  out  of  human 
relationship.  The  one  is  bald  fact,  the  other  truth 
artistically  clad  because  of  a  burning  faith  in  life's 
continuity. 

This  burning  faith  enriches  the  whole  story  of  "  The 
Detour  " ;  and  continuity  marks  the  merit  of  its  struc 
ture.  Mr.  Davis  has  seen  clearly,  has  sensed  fully  — 
noting  the  myriad  facets  shaped  from  the  materials  of 
the  humblest  life  —  shades  of  character  and  various 
motives  inherent  in  locality  and  tradition.  His  play 
has  the  tang  of  the  soil  about  it;  it  exudes  a  flavor 
born  of  struggle  against  environment.  It  does  not 
strain  after  contrast  of  fitness  with  unfitness,  with  a 
certain  cruel  formlessness  which  marks  Eugene 
O'Neill's  "  Beyond  the  Horizon."  It  does  not  attempt 
to  compress  folk-legend  with  reality  as  Alice  Brown 
does  in  her  passionless  "  Children  of  Earth."  It  does 
not  strive  for  miniature  interest,  so  strikingly  concen 
trated  in  Susan  Glaspell's  "  Trifles."  "  The  Detour  " 
—  if  there  is  anything  conscious  at  all  about  its  struc 
ture  — •  systematically  discards  the  machinery  of  the- 
atricalism  and  is  starkly  simple.  But,  like  all  simple 
things  in  life,  it  is  able  to  carry  with  it,  rising  out 
of  character  and  situation,  real  racy  humor  and  prob 
lems  common  to  all  —  not  alone  to  those  whose  vision 
is  closed  in  by  the  boundaries  of  farm  life. 

The  burning  glass  of  drama  has  persistently  nar 
rowed  the  canvas  of  the  theatre  these  many  years.  Yet 
dramatists  in  America  have  been  loath  to  give  up 
manipulation  of  action  for  the  sake  of  genre  work  and 


FOREWORD  vii 

genuine  creativeness.  James  A.  Herne,  our  early  realist 
in  the  modern  American  theatre,  rose  far  above  the 
rural  drama  with  which  he  is  mistakenly  identified ;  he 
possessed  a  profound  sympathy  with  character  and 
could  draw  from  narrow,  yet  rich  circumstance,  homely 
truth  —  in  its  fundamentals  not  so  unlike  universal 
truth.  Amidst  the  melodrama  of  "  Shore  Acres  "  he 
wrote  such  palpitant  scenes  as  that  of  Nathaniel  Berry 
and  his  brother  discussing  the  sale  of  the  farm.  He 
wrote  an  entire  play,  "  Margaret  Fleming,"  daring  for 
its  day,  an  intensive  domestic  tragedy.  "  The  Detour," 
in  its  treatment,  is  of  the  same  caliber  —  with  the  tech 
nique  of  life  itself. 

I  recall  once  —  in  the  olden  days  when  an  eighteen- 
hour  flier-train  service  between  New  York  and  Chicago 
was  a  novelty  —  riding  in  the  cab  of  an  engine  thus 
destined  to  eat  up  space  on  a  cold  February  afternoon, 
just  as  the  shadows  of  twilight  were  beginning  to  turn 
the  Hudson  River  into  a  sheet  of  cold  white  steel. 
There  were  streaks  of  color  in  the  wintry  sky  and 
a  streak  of  red  glow  from  the  intense  furnace  of  our 
cab,  as  the  train  sped  on  at  sixty  miles  an  hour.  At  a 
curve,  the  fireman  crept  to  the  cab  door  of  the  engine 
and  swung  out  on  the  step,  clinging  to  a  side  rail. 
Against  the  cold  swish  of  wind  he  let  fly  a  bundle  of 
papers  in  the  direction  of  a  shanty,  far  down  a  bank- 
side  and  into  a  hollow.  I  leaned  out  of  the  window 
in  time  to  see  a  bent  old  woman  open  the  door  of  her 
shack  and  make  for  those  papers.  The  fireman  yelled 
to  me  an  explanation  —  above  the  roar  of  the  steam, 
the  shrill  blast  of  the  whistle,  the  rumble  of  wheels 
over  the  ribbons  of  rail  —  "  I  bring  her  the  news  from 
New  York  once  a  week." 


FOREWORD 

Here,  in  this  action,  was  material  for  melodrama 
and  realism.  Mr.  Davis,  by  evidence  of  "  The  Detour," 
could  handle  both  treatments.  In  art,  the  difference 
in  the  technique  would  be  the  difference  between  a 
poster  that  arrests  the  eye,  and  Rembrandt's  "  Old 
Woman  Paring  Her  Nails  "  that  challenges  the  creative 
instinct  in  us.  In  one  mood,  the  thrill  of  the  ride, 
the  danger  of  the  fireman's  precarious  position  would 
have  appealed  to  Mr.  Davis,  as  an  unconscious  act  of 
daily  heroism ;  in  another  mood  he  would  have  wondered 
at  the  life  of  the  woman  in  the  shack  —  tried  to  square 
with  her  bowed  figure  the  forces  shaping  her  destiny,  as 
Maeterlinck  said  of  the  old  man  seated  silent  in  his 
armchair.  There  is  no  question  as  to  which  is  the 
profounder  drama. 

One  day,  at  Northport,  Long  Island,  Mr.  Davis  sat 
in  his  car,  overlooking  a  farm,  with  its  lonely  house  in 
the  distance.  There  were  evidences  aound  it,  even  in 
its  typical  isolation,  of  a  woman's  hand.  The  creative 
mind  is  always  eager  for  such  sign  posts  of  life  on  which 
to  fasten  its  tentacles.  Mayhap  a  detour  made  his 
chauffeur  skirt  around  the  farm,  thus  denying  it  con 
tact  with  the  life  of  the  open  road.  From  such  sim 
ple  beginnings,  "  The  Detour  "  was  evolved. 

Mr.  Davis  has  always  claimed  and  asked  that  a  critic 
judge  each  separate  work  of  his  on  its  own  merits.  He 
is  justified  in  this  request.  We  do  judge  the  present 
play  as  a  supreme  picture  of  farm  life,  of  mother  love 
and  wif ely  rebellion,  where  the  tragedy  is  twofold  —  in 
the  woman's  yearning  and  stirring  for  self-expression 
through  her  daughter;  and  in  the  daughter's  inade 
quacy  through  the  inheritance  of  her  father's  stodgi- 
ness  and  the  confining  claim  of  the  soil  upon  her.  In 


FOREWORD  ix 

most  of  its  dimensions  the  play  holds  measure.  I  do 
not  claim  flawlessness  for  it;  I  do  claim  for  it  bigness 
of  intent. 

Mr.  Davis's  previous  inroads  into  the  realm  of  melo 
drama  do  not  have  to  be  known  for  any  appreciation 
of  "  The  Detour."  There  is  no  special  reason  for  re 
calling  those  days  when  he  wrote  from  ten  to  twelve 
such  pieces  a  year — their  names  are  as  bloodcurdling 
as  those  which  came  from  the  pen  of  David  Belasco 
when  he  was  writing  for  mining  towns  out  in  California 
—  except  to  state  that  he  must  have  perfected  his  tech 
nical  expertness  in  such  a  hard  school.  It  is  a  glow 
ing  tribute  to  Mr.  Davis's  essential  worth  that  he  can 
now  give  us  "  The  Detour  " — so  calm,  so  progressively 
fatalistic,  so  quiet  in  its  outbursts  —  after  association 
with  a  method  that  often  deadens  sensitiveness  to  char 
acter. 

But  we  are  all  conscious  —  we  who  go  continually  to 
the  theatre  or  read  many  plays  —  that  there  is  an 
other  step  to  take  beyond  realism.  I  find  Mr.  Davis 
ready  to  take  it.  In  the  atmosphere  of  realism,  with 
which  our  stage  has  been  drenched,  there  has  been  felt 
the  need  of  a  more  palpitant  spirit,  akin  to  mysticism, 
yet  more  attached  to  earthly  attainment.  The  mother, 
in  "  The  Detour,"  shows  glints  of  this  spirit  —  the  un 
quenchable  determination  to  outwit  environment,  rise 
higher  than  circumstance.  It  is  a  step  thoroughly 
Hi  consonance  with  the  American  character.  Given  the 
ability  to  write  such  realistic  scenes  as  are  here  de 
picted,  and  the  desire  to  infuse  into  the  materials  of 
character  an  aspiration  which  overcomes  adversity,  and 
a  play  greater  and  wider  in  its  stage  appeal  than  "  The 
Detour  "  could  be  written.  But  one  must  have  evidences 


x  FOREWORD 

of  such  a  play  as  the  present  one  before  one  can  hope 
for  the  other. 

I  am  confident  that  "  The  Detour  "  represents  thus 
far  one  of  our  highest  attainments  in  American  realism 
for  the  stage.  It  is  worthy  to  be  read  widely ;  as  a 
representative  of  native  genre  work  it  is  worthy  of  con 
sideration  abroad.  It  is  a  play  that  any  repertory 
theatre  should  welcome.  Such  sheer  realism  requires 
sheer  acting,  and  invites  and  challenges  the  best  in 
players.  It  is  rarely  that  an  American  playwright  pen 
etrates  so  deeply  into  American  life.  That  is  why  I 
greet  "  The  Detour  "  heartily  as  "  the  real  thing  "  in 
the  theatre. 

MONTROSE  J.  MOSES. 


THE    DETOUR 


"The  Detour"   was   originally  produced  in   New   York 
August  23,  1921,  with  the  following  cast: 

STEPHEN  HARDY Augustin  Duncan 

HELEN,  his  wife Effie  Shannon 

KATE,  their  daughter Angela  McCahill 

TOM  LANE, Willard  Robertson 

DANA  LAMONT Harry  Andrews 

DORA  LAMONT Eva  Condon 

BEN  GLENNY Claude  Cooper 

WEINSTEIN James  R.  Waters 

JAKE .  .Chester  Herman 


ACT  I. 

MRS.  HARDY'S  KITCHEN. 

ACT  II. 

THE  VERANDA,  That  afternoon. 

ACT  III. 

THE  KITCHEN,  A  little  later. 
TIME:     The   Present. 
THE  PLACE:     Near  Northport,  L.  I. 


THE  DETOUR 


ACT  I 

SCENE:  Kitchen  of  Stephen  Hardy's  farmhouse  on 
the  road  to  Northport  (Long  Island),  a  simple,  home 
like  room  quite  without  any  of  the  conveniences  of  mod 
ern  invention,  and  equally  without  any  studied  air  of 
grvmness.  The  room  should  be  as  unpretentious  as  the 
play  and  as  far  away  from  symbolism,  —  just  the  plain 
home  of  plain  people.  Door  back  left  to  yard;  a  rather 
wide  window  back  right  looks  out  upon  side  veranda. 
Door  to  hall  at  left.  Cook  stove  right.  Sink  above 
stove.  This  kitchen,  out  of  respect  for  the  "  parlor  ", 
is  used  as  the  family  living  room,  and  the  small  dining 
table  at  right  is  now  covered  with  a  dull  red  cloth. 
Door  to  a  "  pantry  "  at  right  below  stove;  when  this 
door  is  open  it  is  possible  to  see  the  usual  flour  barrel, 
sugar  bucket,  etc.  Near  the  window  at  back  is  a 
cheap  easel  on  which  is  a  conventional  water  color;  on 
a  stand  by  the  easel  are  a  few  odds  and  ends  of  an 
artist's  paraphernalia.  There  is  a  shelf  above  the 
stove,  and  among  the  articles  on  this  shelf  is  a  rather 
hideous  old  jug  in  which  is  a  bunch  of  artificial  flowers. 

It  is  early  afternoon  of  a  July  day.  At  right  center, 
seated  by  the  table,  is  Kate  Hardy,  a  girl  of  eighteen; 


[ACT 


Helen  Hardy,  her  mother,  is  in  the  doorway  looking 
out. 

HELEN 

All  right! 

[She  crosses  down  to  shelf  above  the  stove  and  tak 
ing  the  jug  in  which  are  the  artificial  flowers,  she 
crosses  to  the  table  at  right  center. 
KATE 

Somehow  it  always  frightens  me ! 

HELEN 

It  needn't !  What 's  here  is  ours. 
[She  removes  the  artificial  flowers  and  turns  the  jug 
upside  down.  The  jug  was  about  one  third  full  of 
money.,  old  bills,  one  or  two  gold  pieces,  and  silver. 
Kate  takes  five  dollar  bills  from  her  little  pocket- 
book  and  adds  them  to  the  pile. 

KATE 

It 's  the  last  of  my  school-teaching  money  until  Sep 
tember. 

HELEN 

You  '11  get  your  pay  for  clerking  in  the  drug  store 
in  another  week.  (She  sits  by  table)  How  much, 
did  you  put  in  just  now? 

KATE 

Five  dollars. 

HELEN 

Where  *s  the  rest  of  it  ? 
KATE  (hesitates) 

I  —  I  was  going  to  buy  some  goods  for  a  dress ;  we 
could  make  it  ourselves,  of  course.  Just  a  little  or 
gandy  or  something. 

HELEN 

You  can  get  along,  I  guess,  without  it. 


ACT  i]  THE  DETOUR  5 

KATE  (wistfully) 

I  'm  ashamed  to  go  to  the  pictures  Saturday  nights ; 

I  haven't  a  thing ! 
HELEN  (firmly) 

Your  blue  dress  will  do  well  enough,  put  it  all  in. 
KATE  (reluctant) 

Yes,  mother. 

[She  takes  a  few  more  bills  from  her  pocketbook  and 

adds  them  to  the  pile. 
HELEN 

I  'm  going  to  count  it. 

KATE 

You  '11  wear  it  all  out  before  it 's  any  good  to  us ! 

HELEN  (almost  gaily.    Starting  to  count  money) 

I  'm  like  a  miser  I  saw  once  in  an  opera,  —  I  think 
it  was  "The  Chimes  of  Normandy."  He  took  me  to 
the  theatre  in  New  York  three  or  four  times  the  first 
year  we  were  married.  You  count  the  silver. 

KATE  (piling  up  the  coins) 

Some  of  the  summer  people  from  here,  and  even  as 
far  down  as  Shoreham,  drive  their  automobiles  up  to 
New  York  almost  every  day! 

HELEN  (cowntmg  bills) 
I  know. 

KATE 

And  I  've  never  been  there ! 

HELEN1 

You  will! 

KATE 

I  never  used  to  believe  it,  but  we  Ve  saved  a  lot. 
HELEN  (lookmg  over  at  her) 
How  much? 


6  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  i 

KATE 

Sixty   dollars    and   fifty    cents,    counting   the   gold 

pieces. 
HELEN 

I  've  got  six  hundred  and  forty ;  let 's  see  —  that 's 

six  hundred  and  forty  and  sixty  dollars  and  fifty 

cents ? 

KATE  (promptly) 

Seven  hundred  dollars  and  fifty  cents. 
HELEN 

You  *re  quick  at  figures ! 
KATE  (laughs) 

You  're  not ! 

HELEN 

I  get  it  mixed  with  receipts  for  gingerbread  and 
when  to  give  the  calf  that  medicine  your  father  left 
for  it.  (She  starts  to  put  the  money  'back  into  the 
jar)  Seven  hundred  dollars  and  fifty  cents!  Just 
my  chicken  and  egg  money  and  little  odds  and  ends, 
and  your  pay  for  school  teaching  and  for  clerking  at 
Nepper's,  summers !  It 's  almost  like  the  loaves  and 
fishes  in  the  Bible! 

KATE 

If  you  *d  only  let  me  go  with  that ! 

HELEN 

No,  not  till  we  get  a  thousand. 
KATE  (sadly) 

Three  hundred  dollars  more! 
HELEN 

All  but  fifty  cents. 
KATE  (impatiently) 

What's  fifty  cents? 


ACT  i]  THE  DETOUR 


HELEN1 

If  you  'd  remember  how  we  Ve  had  to  scrimp  for  every 
penny,  you  wouldn't  ask  that. 
KATE 

How  could  I  help  remembering!  Sometimes  I  hate 
that  money !  It 's  all  the  good  times  I  've  never  had, 
and  all  the  things  I  Ve  done  without ! 

HELEN" 

You  '11  thank  me  for  it  some  time. 

KATE 

Oh,  yes !  Only  couldn't  I  just  take  this  seven  hun 
dred  and  make  it  do? 

HELEN 

No,  I  always  said  a  thousand.  It  would  be  so  awful 
if  you  had  to  come  back !  Two  years  it  might  take 
you,  and  lie  won't  want  you  to  go ;  he  would  n't  send 
you  anything;  good  teachers  cost  money,  and  paint 
ing  things,  and  a  studio !  We  've  got  to  get  a  thou 
sand  ;  we  can  save  it  in  another  year. 

KATE 

We  never  have  saved  that  much. 

HELEN 

All  the  more  reason  why  we  should  this  time. 
KATE 

A  year (She  sighs)    It 's  so  long  to  wait. 

HELEN 

I  been  here  twenty. 
KATE 

But  not  knowing  that  pretty  soon  you  were  going! 
It  was  your  home;  you  knew  you  were  going  to  live 
here  always. 


8  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  i 

HELEN 

I  've  told  you  times  enough  about  that,  how  hard  it 
was  for  me  to  settle  down. 
KATE 

But,  mother !    /  9m  young ! 

HELEN 

So  was  I,  once,  and  as  far  as  that  goes,  I  've  still  got 
my  teeth!     I  guess  you  can  stand  it  another  year. 
KATE 

You  wouldn't  go  away  from  here  if  you  could ! 

HELEN 

Yes,  I  would  —  quick !  Lookin'  back,  it  seems  like 
I  was  crazy  I  didn't  go ! 

KATE  (shocked) 
From  father? 

HELEN  (bitterly) 

From  this!  (She  looks  about  the  room  bitterly) 
It  ain't  enough !  Life  ought  to  be  bigger  than  — 
than  this  kitchen!  It  ought  to  be  brighter  than  I 
been  able  to  keep  those  old  pots  and  pans !  I  knew 
that,  when  I  was  your  age,  but  somehow  I  forgot  it 
for  a  while.  I  'd  always  meant  to  get  away  and  go 
to  New  York,  or  somewhere's  where  bein*  born  an' 
bein'  dead  was  n't  the  only  things  that  ever  happened. 
I  'd  made  my  mind  up  to  go,  I  'd  saved  for  it  harder 
even  than  we  've  been  savin' ;  one  more  term  of  winter 
school  teachin*  an'  I  figured  I  'd  have  enough. 

KATE 

But  you  didn't  go ! 

HELEN 

No,  I  took  my  money  and  bought  my  weddin'  things. 
It  was  awful  lonesome  around  here  winters,  and  your 
father  's  got  a  way  of  gettin*  what  he  wants. 


ACT  i]  THE  DETOUR 


KATE 

Mother !    You  're  not  sorry? 

HELEN 

I  tell  you  it  ain't  enough.  (She  looks  out  the  win 
dow  at  the  vista  of  truck  gardens  then  half-turns 
toward  Kate)  At  first,  when  we  were  married,  I 
thought  it  was.  Then  it  got  to  be  just  drudgery, 
just  work,  nothing  else;  every  other  part  of  me 
just  shriveled  up.  (She  walks  slowly  down  to  table) 
When  I  was  a  girl  I  used  to  watch  married  folks  and 
I  thought  it  was  like  that,  but  somehow  I  got  to 
loving  him  before  I  knew  it.  I  didn't  have  any  talent 
like  you  have;  I  just  had  the  hunger  to  do  things. 
KATE 

But  if  we're  wrong?    If  I  haven't  really  a  talent? 

HELEN 

No,  there  's  more  justice  than  that  in  the  world. 
You  've  got  what  I  didn't  have. 
KATE 

We  can  't  be  sure. 

HELEN 

You  '11  be  a  great  artist ! 
KATE 
Mother! 

HELEN 

You  will !     I  've  known  it  ever  since  I  got  you  that 
first  box  of  water  colors  when  you  were  a  little  girl.  J 
You  're  more  like  his  people  in  looks,  but  the  rest  of 
you  is  me!    The  thing  I  wanted  to  do  you  're  going 
to  do!    . 

KATE 

Yes,  mother! 


10  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  i 

HELEN 
AS  soon  as  I  saw  you  favored  me  in  spirit,  only 
you  had  the  talent  I  didn't  have,  I  knew  just  what 
we  had  to  do,  and  I  started  over  again  saving  for 
it.  Your  life  isn't  going  to  be  like  this,  not  even  with 
a  good  man  like  your  father! 

KATE 

He  is  good,  but  he  's  hard. 

HELEN 

He  's  had  to  be,  to  live ! 

KATE 

But  he  never  thinks  of  anything  but  land,  then  more 
and  more! 

HELEN 

There  *s  no  money  in  garden  truck  unless  you  have 
a  lot  of  land. 

KATE 

But  he  keeps  us  so  poor,  buying  it,  and  he  's  always 
so  worried  about  the  taxes  and  the  mortgages  —  and 
before  he  's  paid  for  the  last  piece  he  's  always  buy 
ing  another. 

HELEN 

He  loves  it !    Just  land ! 

KATE 

It 's  merciless,  the  way  he  makes  you  work,  and  the 
way  he  works  himself! 
HELEN 

It 's  being  a    slave  just  to  things,  just  cooking  and 

cleaning  and  digging  and  planting!    You  sha'n't  be 

that! 

[She  picks  up  the  jug  and  puts  the  artificial  flowers 

back  in  it. 


ACT  i]  THE  DETOUR  11 

KATE 

I  'm  always  worried  about  that  money ;  supposing 
something  happened  to  it? 

HELEN 

Nobody  'd  look  in  here. 

[She  crosses  to  shelf  and  puts  the  jug  away. 
KATE 

They  might ! 

HELEN 

No,  it 's  safe ;  it  *s  been  over  ten  years  I  've  been  sav 
ing  up  and  no  one  but  us  two  knows  about  it.    Your 
father  don't  notice  things  much. 
KATE 

Only  if  it 's  good  growing  weather,  or  if  it  is  n't !  Or 
if  it's  an  acre  of  land  he  could  buy !  Mother !  Was 
he  always  like  that  ? 

HELEN 

I  guess  so,  only  I  didn't  know  it!  (She  sighs  and 
crosses  and  stands  in  the  open  door)  I  guesS  folks 
don't  change  much.  (She  stands  for  a  moment  look 
ing  out)  He's  comin',  they've  finished  pickin'  the 
string  beans ;  weren't  many  of  'em,  I  guess.  (She 
sighs  again)  No,  folks  don't  change  much;  he's 
heavier  than  he  was,  and  he  don't  hardly  ever  smile. 
He  used  to,  he  had  a  real  nice  smile.  (She  crosses 
slowly  bach  to  Kate)  Farmin's  pretty  hard  on  a 
man. 
KATE 

And  on  a  woman  too. 

HELEN 

Yes. 

[Steve  Hardy  enters,  a  tall,  strong  farmer  of  -forty- 

fve,  dressed  for  his  work  in  the  -fields. 


12  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  i 

STEVE 

We  got  the  beans  all  picked. 

[He  crosses  and  draws  a  dipper  of  water  from  the 
sink. 

I  'm  goin'  to  make  up  the  truck  load  with  the  summer 
cabbages  —  what    there   is    of    them.      (He    drinks 
heartily)     It  's  hot  out  there? 
KATE 

I  picked  beans  for  an  hour;  then  mother  made  me 
stop. 

STEVE 

Your  mother  's  spoiled  you,  but  that 's  all  right.  I 
don't  want  you  working  in  the  fields. 

HELEN 

I  won't  have  it  —  you  both  know  that ;  that 's  why  I 
called  her  in !  I  don't  want  her  to  neglect  her  painting. 

STEVE   (pleasantly  enough) 

I  guess  the  world  would  get  along  without  her  paint 
ing,  all  right.  You're  going  to  work  at  Nepper's 
to-morrow,  ain't  you? 

KATE 

Yes.  I  promised  to  go  down  this  afternoon  to  learn 
the  stock !  It  doesn't  seem  as  though  I  could  begin 
that  all  over  again! 

STEVE 

How  much  is  he  giving  you  this  year? 

KATE 

Fourteen  dollars  a  week. 

STEVE 

That 's  a  lot  for  just  standing  behind  a  counter  and 
waiting  on  folks,  and  it 's  cash  every  Saturday  night. 
I  ?d  feel  rich  if  I  had  it  after  I  pay  my  help  and 
put  aside  for  my  taxes  and  interest. 


ACT  i]  THE  DETOUR  13 

HELEN 

That 's  because  we  're  land  poor,  the  same  as  we  Ve 
always  been. 
STEVE  (angrily) 

It 's  because  I  haven't  land  enough  to  make  truck 
farming  a  business  like  it  ought  to  be,  so  as  I  could 
have  help  and  teams  and  tools  and  do  things  right, 
and  make  money !  I  need  twice  the  land  I  've  got,  and 
I'm  going  to  have  it. 

[He  turns  on  the  water  at  the  sink  and  holds  his 
hand  under  it;  for  the  first  time  it  is  seen  that  he  has 
hurt  his  hand  slightly  and  that  there  is  blood  on  it. 

HELEN 

Your  hand  's  cut ! 
STEVE 

That 's  what  I  came  in  for,  to  tie  it  up.  I  sprayed 
the  cabbages  only  Tuesday  and  I  don't  want  to  get 
the  poison  in  it. 

HELEN 

Let 's  see. 

[She  takes  his  hand  and  looJcs  at  it. 
STEVE 

Knife  slipped.  I  wouldn't  notice  it  only  for  the 
poison. 

HELEN 

I  '11  fix  it  before  you  touch  the  cabbages ;  clean  it 
good,  I  '11  get  a  rag. 

[He  holds  it  under  the  water  as  she  selects  a  bit  of 
cloth  from  the  table  drawer. 

STEVE 

Tom  Lane  's  opening  his  garage  to-day. 
KATE 
I  know. 


14  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  i 

STEVE 

No  fool  like  a  young  fool! 

HELEN  (crosses  with  her  improvised  bandage) 

Here!  (He  holds  out  his  hand  and  she  deftly  binds 
it  up)  I  never  saw  so  many  cars  as  there  are  this 
year,  and  the  summer  business  has  hardly  started.  I 
shouldn't  wonder  if  Tom  made  money. 

STEVE 

A  man  *s  a  farmer  or  he  ain't ! 

HELEN 

There's  money  in  other  things  besides  truck  farm 
ing. 

STEVE 

The  twenty  acres  this  side  of  his  house  is  the  best 
truck  land  on  the  north  shore,  if  a  man  had  it  that 
knew  how  to  lay  it  out. 

HELEN  (finishes  bandage) 
There! 

STEVE 

I  must  get  them  started  at  the  cabbages.  (He  turns 
and  stops  in  front  of  the  easel.  The  picture  on  the 
easel  is  facing  the  window  and  he  sees  only  the  back 
of  it)  What's  that? 

HELEN 

Kate  's  painting.    I  made  her  bring  it  down ;  I  wanted 

you  to  look  at  it. 
KATE  (nervously) 

No,  mother! 
STEVE 

What  do  you  want  me  to  look  at  it  for? 

HELEN 

She  's  your  daughter,  too ;  it  don't  seem  right  your 
not  knowing  what  she  's  doing. 


ACT  i]  THE  DETOUR  15 

.STEVE 

She  paints  good  enough.     I  always  thought.     What 
•     of  it? 

HELEN 

She  's  an  artist !  I  mean  a  real  artist !  Two  or  three 
years*  teachin'  in  New  York  will  make  her  as  good  as 
any  of  'em. 

[He  laughs  a  rather  coarse  and  jarring  laugh. 
KATE  (hurt) 

You  see,  mother ! 

HELEN 

It 's  your  father  that  don't  see,  but  he  's  got  to ; 
everybody  has !  I  want  you  to  look  at  this  painting 
right  now ! 

[She  -faces  him  angrily. 
STEVE 

What  do  I  know  about  pictures  ? 

HELEN 

You  Ve  got  eyes !  (She  crosses  to  painting)  It 's 
just  a  painting  she's  made  sitting  in  her  window. 
It 's  just  what  you  see  every  day  of  your  life.  Look ! 
[She  turns  the  painting  to  face  him  and  the  audience. 
A  simple  water  color  of  a  rural  landscape. 

STEVE 

I  see! 
KATE  (fearful) 

I  don't  think  father  cares  about 

[Steve  bends  forward  and  takes  the  painting  from 

Helen.    Kate  stops. 
HELEN  (greatly  pleased) 

He  does  !     He  likes  it ! 
KATE  (proudly) 

Father! 


16  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  i 

HELEN 

You  see  something  in  it,  don't  you,  Stephen? 

STEVE 

I  see  Tom  Jones*  twenty-acre  field  in  it.     Look  how 

it  lies  to  the  sun  there,  sloping  just  enough!     I'm 

going  to  have  that  land.    I  've  got  to  ! 
HELEN  {anxiously) 

But  the  picture! 
STEVE 

Here!     Take  it!     (He  drops  it  on  table)     All  Tom 

can  think  of  is  his  new  garage.     He  'd  sell,  I  know 

he  would!     (He  crosses  to  door,  stops  and  turns) 

Kate! 
KATE  (quite  crushed) 

Yes,  father. 
STEVE 

I  Ve  got  to  ask  you  to  help  me  out  with  the  money 

you  earn  from  Nepper  this  summer ! 
HELEN  (alarmed) 

Stephen ! 
STEVE 

She  had  her  school  money,  I  never  touched  it.     It 

ain't  a  thing  I  want  to  do,  but  I  Ve  got  to!     (He 

turns  to  Kate)     You  give  your  mother  ten  dollars 

every  Saturday.     I  '11  be  expectin'  it. 

[He  exits. 
KATE  (takes  up  picture) 

He  didn't  care  about  my  painting  —  all  he  could  see 

was  the  land ! 
HELEN  (sadly) 

He  '11  take  your  money !     Now  we  can't  do  it  in  a 

year! 


ACT 


THE  DETOUR  17 


KATE   (angrily) 

It  is  n't  fair.     What  right  has  he  to  make  me  —  — 
HELEN  (interrupts  her) 

Hush,  dear  !     I  'm  going  to  find  a  way  ! 
KATE 

You  can't! 

HELEN 

I  don't  know.  .   .   . 

[Tom  Lane,  a  young  fellow  of  about  twenty-five, 
comes  to  the  open  door.     Tom  is  in  working  clothes, 
a  healthy,  sturdy  young  animal. 
TOM 

Can  I  come  in,  Mrs.  Hardy? 

HELEN 

Of  course  you  can,  Tom. 

[As  he  enters. 
KATE  {smiles  at  him) 

How  's  the  new  garage? 
TOM 

Great  J     My  stock  's  in  —  more  *n  a  thousand  dol 

lars'  worth,  and  five  hundred  gallons  of  gas. 
KATE 

So  you  've  really  started  ! 
TOM  (proudly) 

My  sign  's  out  ;  looks  good  if  I  did  paint  it  myself. 

(He  grms  cheerfully  at  Kate)     I  don't  pretend  to 

be  an  artist. 
HELEN  (proudly) 

Artists  don't  paint  signs  I 
TOM 

I  got  my  first  job,  too,  fixing  a  car  for  a  man  named 

Lament,  Dana  Lament.     (Kate  looks  up  at  the  men- 


18  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  i 

tion  of  the  name,  then  looks  closely  at  ~her  paint 
ing)  He  's  taken  the  Curtis  bungalow  for  the  sum 
mer. 

HELEN  (busy  about  kitchen) 

His  wife  's  been  here  twice  for  eggs  and  butter,  — 
she  's  a  nice  woman ;  she  made  me  show  her  all  over 
the  house  yesterday.  I  never  saw  anybody  make 
such  a  fuss  as  she  did  over  mother's  old  curly  maple 
bed  and  dresser. 

TOM 
Why? 

HELEN 

She  liked  it,  but  she  don't  know  a  thing  about  fur 
niture.     When  I  took  the  covers  off  the  red  plush 
set  in  the  parlor  she  hardly  so  much  as  looked  at  it ! 
TOM 

Well,  they  've  got  money,  and  they  're  going  to  be 
good  customers  of  mine.  His  car's  in  my  place 
now. 

KATE 

I  think  it 's  better  than  farming. 

TOM 

I  know  it  is.  I  'm  worried  about  the  roads  being 
so  bad  just  below ;  that  's  going  to  hurt.  Some  folks 
will  go  up  the  Middle  Island  Road,  and  I'll  lose  them, 
but  I'm  bound  to  make  good  money. 

HELEN 

That  Mrs.  Lamont  is  coming  for  a  dozen  more  eggs 
to-day.  She 's  expecting  company.  (She  takes  a 
basket  from  shelf)  I'll  get  them  for  her. 

KATE 

I'll  do  it. 


ACT  i]  THE  DETOUR  19 

HELEN 

No,   show   Tom   your   painting.     You  've  been    out 
enough  in  the  hot  sun. 
[She  eocits. 
TOM 

She  's  good  to  you  ! 

[KATE 

Mother's  wonderful! 


She  takes  care  of  you  just  like  you  were  some  — 

some  sort  of  a  treasure! 
KATE  (laughingly) 

I  know! 
TOM 

Too  good  for  rough  things  —  too  good  for  rough 

people  —  and  she  thinks  I  'm  one  of  'em  —  and  I 

guess  I  am. 
KATE 

My  painting  's  finished. 
TOM 

Is  it?    Let  's  look. 

[Crosses  and  looks. 
KATE  (anxiously) 

I  tried  so  hard,  and  now  I  don't  know. 
TOM 

Don't  know  what? 
KATE 

If  it  's  really  good. 
TOM  (after  a  long  look) 

It's  great! 

KATE 

Don't  say  so  if  you  don't  mean  it  ! 


20  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  i 

TOM 

It's  great!     (He  points  with  Ms  finger)     That** 
the  fence  between  your  place  and  mine,  and  that  's 
my  twenty-acre  lot !    Any  fool  knows  that 's  a  good 
picture! 
KATE 

I  think  it 's  good.  I  'm  almost  sure  of  it !  I  Ve 
worked  so  hard,  Tom,  without  anybody  much.  to| 
help  me  —  sometimes  I  'm  not  sure,  and  that 's  awful 

—  it    would   break    mother's    heart,    and    mine,    of 
course ! 

TOM 

It 's  a  nice  way  to  spend  your  time,  when  you  ain't 
workin'.  Doing  anything  to-night?  I  might  come 
over. 

KATE 

The  movie  theater  *s  opening  to-night  for  the  sum 
mer.  I  sort  of  thought  I  might  walk  down  there  with 

—  with  one  of  the  girls. 

[Helen  reenters  at  back  with  a  dozen  eggs  in  her 
basket. 

TOM  (very  reluctant) 

I  —  I  '11  take  you,  if  you  want  to  go. 

KATE 

Don't  you? 

TOM 

They  bother  me,  movin'  pictures,  all  about  other 
folks*  wives  and  murders  and  poor  girls  gettin*  mar 
ried  to  rich  men,  an'  young  fellers  makin*  a  million 
dollars  in  a  couple  of  days,  when  everybody  knows 
they  can't.  It  wastes  your  time,  and  I  don't 
know  as  it  *s  right,  puttin*  ideas  into  peoples' 
heads. 


ACT  i]  THE  DETOUR  21 

HELEN 

What  would  you  put  there? 

TOM 

It  's  hard  enough  to  keep  on  your  job  without  think 
ing  about  things. 

KATE 

But  you  can't  just  work! 

TOM 
Why? 

KATE 

I  think  the  pictures  are  fun,  and  they  're  a  change 

from  reading. 
TOM 

Book   reading?      Books    are   just   as   bad!      Seems 

like  every  liar  took  to  writin'  books !    I  gave  'em  all 

up  but  one. 
KATE 

What  one? 

HELEN    (drilt/) 

His  account  book. 
TOM  (grins  at  her) 
That's  right. 

HELEN 

Maybe  it  ain't  right,  but  it 's  true. 
TOM 

Laugh,  all  you  please,  and  of  course  I  know  you  're 
laughing.  I  ain't  mean,  anyhow,  I  ain't  dog  mean 
—  but  what  I  want  is  money.  When  I  get  enough 
of  that  I  guess  folks  will  forgive  me  if  I  don't  know 
Charlie  Chaplin  from  Douglas  Fairbanks,  an'  even 
if  I  ain't  a  fancy  dancer. 
[He  steps  toward  door. 


22  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  i 

HELEN 

There  's  more  folks  know  how  to  save  money  than 
there  is  that  know  how  to  spend  it. 
TOM 

By  the  time  a  feller  learns  enough  to  save  it  he  's 

got  too  much  sense  to  spend  it.     I  'm  going  back  to 

the  garage  and  sit  and  wait  for  trade.     That 's  got 

the  pictures  beat,  I  guess! 

[He  crosses  stage.     Kate  looks  after  him  a  little 

wistfully. 

KATE 

Good-by,  Tom. 
TOM 

See  you  later. 
[He  exits. 

KATE 

It 's  funny  —  in  some  ways  he  is  so  like  father,  and 
living  right  next  door  to  us. 

HELEN 

Maybe  it 's  catchin'.     (She  crosses  to  Kate  and  put 
ting  her  hand  on  Kate9s  shoulder  she  looks  down  at 
her  gravely)     Kate? 
KATE 

Yes,  mother. 

HELEN 

He  's  been  around  a  lot  lately! 
KATE 

Yes. 

HELEN 

You  're  not  thinkin'  of  him?  (Kate  drops  her  eyes. 
Helen  looks  frightened)  Kate!  If  you  was  to  do 
that,  what  rs  the  good  of  all  we  've  done  ? 


ACT  i]  THE  DETOUR  23 

KATE 

Oh,  I  wouldn't.     Not  —  not  the  way  you  mean  — 

only  —  only  I  think  he  likes  me  —  and  —  and 

[She  stops. 
HELEN 

And  he  's  the  best  you  know. 

KATE 

Yes,  he  's  that. 

HELEN 

But  not  the  best  you  're  going  to  know !     We  think 
that  thousand  dollars  it  will  take  us  most  ten  years 
to  save  is  a  lot  of  money? 
IKATE 

I  should  say  so ! 

,HELEN 

In  New  York  it  is  n't  anything  I 
KATE  (worried) 
But • 

!HELEN 

Don't  be  silly !    You  Ve  got  a  talent !    They  '11  make 
room  for  you! 

'KATE 

I  hope  so, 

HELEN 

They  will  —  if  you  work  hard  —  and  you  must !    If 

you  was  to  fail,  I  'd  feel  somehow  as  if  all  my  life 

had  been  just  wasted  1 
KATE  (earnestly) 

I  '11  work. 
IHELEN  (tenderly) 

I  know  you  will. 
KATE  (touched) 

You  *re  the  one  who  ought  to  go,  mother ! 


24  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  i 

HELEN 

I  'm  going,  the  very  best  way  —  the  part  of  me 
that 's  in  you  is  going  —  what  I  was  once  —  what  I 
wanted  to  be  —  I  gave  all  that  to  you.  When  they 
all  come  crowding  around  you  some  day,  saying 
you  're  a  great  artist,  men  and  women,  different 
from  the  kind  we  know,  you  '11  be  proud,  but  you 
won't  be  so  proud  as  I  '11  be ! 

[Dana  Lamont,  a  New  York  artist,  comes  to  the 
door.  Lamont,  although  an  artist,  is  not  at  all  of 
the  "  artistic  type  ";  he  is  just  a  cultivated,  well- 
mannered  man  of  middle  age. 

DANA 

I  beg  your  pardon,  but  I  was  to  meet  my  wife  here, 
Mrs.  Lamont. 

HELEN 

She  was  coming  for  some  eggs,  but  I  haven't  seen 
her.  Come  in  and  wait,  won't  you  ? 

DANA  (enters) 

Thank  you.     She  asked  me  to  meet  her  here. 

HELEN 

This  is  my  daughter,  Mr.  Lamont. 

DANA 

Good  morning,  Miss  —  Hardy  —  is  n't  it? 

KATE 

Yes,  sir. 

HELEN 

Won't  you  sit  down? 
[Offers  chair. 

DANA 

Thanks  —  no  —  I  am  going  to  leave  a  message  f 01 
my  wife,  if  you  don't  mind.  Please  say  that  I  have 
walked  on  to  the  new  garage  to  see  what  is  being 


LCT  i]  THE  DETOUR  25 

done  about  my  car.  If  the  man  here  can't  fix  it, 
I  shall  have  to  arrange  to  have  it  towed  to  Hunting- 
ton. 

JELEN 

Tom  Lane  will  fix  it! 

)ANA 

Really  —  is  he  a  good  mechanic  ? 


He  9s  a  good  business  man. 
KATE 

He  's  a  good  mechanic,  too,  mother  ! 
IELEN 

I  guess  so;  anyhow  he  won't  let  it  go  to  Hunting- 

ton. 
DANA 

Would  you  mind  asking  Mrs.  Lament  to  walk  along 

and  meet  me  on  the  road? 


I  '11  tell  her  if  she  comes. 

DANA 

She  '11  come!  Thank  you  very  much.  (He  turns  to 
doorway)  I  envy  you  the  view  from  your  front 
windows,  Mrs.  Hardy  ;  it  's  quite  unusual. 

IELEN 
That  depends  on  how  long  you  've  been  looking  at  it. 

)ANA 

I  think  I  could  enjoy  looking  at  it  forever. 
HELEN 

I  haven't  tried  that  yet,  but  I  was  born  right  on 

the  other  side  of  the  road. 
IDANA 

And  you  are  tired  of  it,  of  course.     Just  as  my  eyes 

have   grown  tired  of  bricks   and  mortar,   of  curb- 


26  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  r 

stones  and  asphalt!  Beauty,  after  all,  is  in  con 
trasts. 

HELEN 

We  don't  raise  *em  around  here. 

DANA 

You  have  managed  to  keep  a  twinkle  in  your  eyes, 
in  spite  of  monotony  —  so  you  're  all  right !     Good  I 
afternoon!     Good  afternoon,  Miss  Hardy. 
[Kate  bows  shyly  and  he  exits. 

HELEN  (looking  after  him) 

That *s  what  I  meant,  a  gentleman  f  That  *s  the 
kind  of  men  you  're  going  to  know ! 

KATE 

Dana  Lament !  Don't  you  know  who  he  is  ?  Wait ! 
(She  selects  a  magazine  from  the  small  table  and 
turns  the  pages  until  she  finds  the  page,  then  crosses 
to  Helen)  Look!  I  knew  as  soon  as  Tom  spoke 
his  name. 

HELEN  (awed) 

He  painted  that!     (She  looks  at  the  reproduction 
in  the  magazine  with  something  almost  like  rever 
ence)      Dana    Lament!      Kate!     Why    didn't    you 
show  him  the  picture! 
[She  points  to  Kate's  picture. 

KATE 

Mother !    I  wouldn't  have  dared ! 

HELEN  (firmly) 
I  wish  I  'd  known ! 

KATE 
Mother ! 

HELEN 

That 's  the  way  to  learn,  from  the  real  big  ones ; 
from  folks  that  know! 


ACT  i]  THE  DETOUR  27 

KATE 

But  I  wouldn't  have  any  right  to  bother  a  man 
like  Dana  Lament ! 

HELEN 

Why!     I  showed  his  wife  how  to  bake  corn  bread 
yesterday. 
KATE 

That 's  different. 

HELEN 

It  ain't!  I  know  how  to  bake  and  he  knows  how 
to  paint.  Folks  that  know  ain't  mean ;  it 's  only 
fools. 

[Dora  Lamont  comes  to  door.    Dora  is  a  pretty  and 
beautifully  dressed  woman  with  a  frank,  jolly  nature, 
quite  unaffected  and  kindly. 
DORA 

Was  that  my  husband  I  saw  disappearing  down  the 
road? 

HELEN 

Yes,  it  was.    Come  in,  Mrs.  Lamont.     (Dora  enters) 

This  is  my  daughter. 
DORA 

How  do  you  do! 
KATE  (shyly) 

I  'm  pleased  to  meet  you. 
HELEN  (shows  magazine) 

We  were  just  looking  at  this. 
DORA  (looks) 

"  The  Harvest."    Is  n't  it  lovely ! 
HELEN  (gravely) 

Yes  —  lovely !     (She  puts  magazine  on  table)     She 

paints  too ! 

[She  looks  proudly  at  Kate. 


28  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  i 

DORA 

Really  —  that 's  splendid ! 
KATE 

Please,  mother! 
HELEN  (gets  basket) 

Here  's  your  eggs  —  Mr.  Lament  said  he  was  going 

to  the  garage  and  you  was  to  meet  him  on  the  road. 
DORA 

Thank  you,  but  these  are  only  eggs  —  where  is  my 

butter? 

HELEN 

You  got  a  pound  yesterday! 
DORA 

But  I  want  it  every  day! 

HELEN 

Oh  —  well,  butter  won't  hurt  you !    Get  a  pound  of 

butter  from  the  spring  house,  Kate. 
KATE 

Yes,  mother.     (She  crosses  and  gets  a  plate)     I 

won't  be  a  minute. 

[She  exits. 
DORA 

She  's  pretty ! 

HELEN 

She's  more  than  that — I  want  to  show  you  some 
thing  —  that 's  why  I  sent  her.     (She  crosses  and 
turns  Kate's  painting)    Look ! 
[Dora  looks. 

DORA 

Why,  it 's  really  very  nice ! 

HELEN 
Yes. 


i]  THE  DETOUR  29 

DORA 

You  must  be  proud  of  her ! 

HELEN 

Yes. 

DOE  A  (looking  at  picture) 

What  a  lovely  country  it  is  about  here.     The  slope 
of  that  hill  side  is   exquisite! 

HELEN 

That  *s  what  my  husband  says,  but  he  was  thinking 
of  the  drainage. 

DORA  (laughs) 

That 's  like  a  husband ;  not  mine,  of  course,  but  ar 
tists  are  different. 

HELEN 

Yes  —  you  think  it 's  good,  that  picture ;  I  mean, 
really  good? 

DORA 

I  am  sure  it  is! 

HELEN  (anxiously) 

Not  for  a  girl,  I  don't  mean  —  I  mean  for  any 
body  —  for  an  artist? 

DORA  (hesitates) 
Why • 

HELEN 

She  's  going  to  New  York  to  study,  we  Ve  been  plan 
ning  it  all  her  life.     All  the  help  she  *s  had  was  a 
Miss  Crosby  at  Northport.     You  think  she 's  got 
talent  —  I  mean  real  talent  ? 
DORA 

My  husband  says  no  one  has  a  right  to  say  that  un 
less  it 's  really  so1,  and  of  course  I  'm  not  a  judge. 

HELEN 

He  is. 


30  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  i 

DORA 

Yes. 

HELEN 

Would  he  look  at  it  if  you  was  to  ask  him? 
DORA 

Of  course  he  would. 

HELEN 

And  tell  her  where  to  go  when  she  gets  to  New  York, 

—  who  the  best  teachers  are  ? 

DORA 

I  am  sure  he  would ;  1 11  bring  him  here  myself. 

HELEN 

It 's  awful  to  ask  favors,  but  you  do  sometimes,  for 
people  you  love  enough ! 

DORA 

Of  course  you  do,  and  it  is  n't  a  favor.  My  hus 
band  says  one  proof  of  a  real  artist  is  his  willing 
ness  to  help  another. 

HELEN 

I  knew  that. 
DORA  (laughs) 

You  know  a  lot,  don't  you? 

HELEN 

Yes  and  no  —  mostly  no. 

[Kate  enters  with  Ben  Glenny,  a  tall,  lank,  serious- 
looking  fellow  who  is  in  his  shirt  sleeves.  In  on# 
hand  he  has  a  hammer  and  in  the  other  a  pine  board 
on  which,  in  black  letters,  is  painted  the  word  DE 
TOUR. 

[Kate  comes  forward  with  the  plate  of  butter  in  her 
hand,  Ben  Glenny  stops  in  the  doorway. 
KATE 

Here  's  Mr.  Glenny,  he  wants  to  borrow  a  nail. 


ACT  i]  THE  DETOUR  31 

BEN 

Got  to  put  this  up.     (Holds  up  the  sign)     Going  to 

close  the  road  and  send  folks  around  Srnithtown  way. 

I  thought  I  had  nails  with  me,  but  I  ain't. 
KATE  (at  drawer  of  table) 

This  big  enough? 

[She  holds  up  nail. 
BEN 

About  right. 

KATE 

Here.      (She  brings  him  four  or  five  nails)     Sure 

they  're  enough? 
BEN 

Plenty,  thanks;  the  men  are  closing  the  road  now 

and  I  ought  to  get  this  up  quick. 

[He  exits.    Helen  rolls  the  butter  up  in  a  clean  cloth 

and  puts  it  in  the  basket  with  the  eggs. 
HELEN 

The  road  *s  pretty  bad ;  it  *s  a  good  thing  they  yre 

fixing  it.     Detour,  that 's  a  new  word ;  seems  we  're 

borrowing  lots  of  things  from  France.     It  ain't  a 

bad  word  —  Detour  —  only  I  don't  know  as  I  get 

the  meaning  of  it  exactly. 
KATE 

It  means  a  turning. 
DORA 

Another  way  around,  to  get  to  the  same  place. 
HELEN 

Oh,  well,  so  long  as  a  person  gets  where  they  want 

to  go,  I  guess  a  detour  don't  matter  much. 
DORA    (lightly) 

Unless  it  takes  you  where  you  don't  want  to  go. 


32  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  i 

(She  takes  out  Tier  pocketbook)  How  much  do  I 
owe  you  ? 

HELEN 

Sixty  cents  for  the  butter,  and  eighty-five  for  the 
eggs,  a  dollar  and  —  and  — 

KATE 

Forty-five. 

HELEN  (to  Kate) 

When  you  go  I  '11  get  a  slate. 
[Dora  puts  the  money  on  the  table. 

DOEA 

And  thank  you  very  much !  Oh !  I  knew  I  was  for 
getting  something.  I  was  in  Huntington  yesterday 
and  I  spoke  to  a  dealer  there  —  a  rather  dreadful 
person  named  Weinstein  —  about  that  wonderful  old 
curly  maple  of  yours. 

HELEN 

What   about  it? 

DORA 

All  about  it.  He  is  going  to  drive  over  here  very 
soon. 

HELEN 

What  for? 

DORA 

To  buy  it,  of  course. 

HELEN 

Buy  it  ?    It  *s  a  real  good  bed,  and  the  bureau  *s  all 
right  if  you  're  patient  when  the  drawers  stick.     I 
wouldn't  be  able  to  get  along  without  'em. 
DORA 

Oh  —  I  thought  you  would  be  glad  of  the  chance  of 
disposing  of  them. 


ACT  i]  THE  DETOUR  33 

HELEN 

No,  I  guess  not.     They  were  mother's,  you  see.     I 
don't  think  I  'd  like  other  folks  having  them. 
DORA 

Just  tell  him  so  then.     I  thought  you  cared  more 
for  your  parlor  furniture. 

HELEN 

I  do ;  nobody  can  help  liking  fine  things  like  my  par 
lor  set  better  than   old  truck,  but  being  mother's 
makes  a  difference. 
DORA 

Of  course  it  does. 
[She  crosses  to  door. 

HELEN 

And  you  won't  forget  about  bringing  your  husband 
to  look  at  the  painting? 
KATE   (afraid) 
Oh,  no! 

DORA 

I  '11  bring  him  in  the  very  first  time  we  pass  this  way. 

[She  exits 
HELEN  (follows  her  to  door) 

I  '11  be  a  lot  obliged. 
DORA  (outside) 

Not  a  bit,  good  afternoon. 
HELEN  (m  doorway) 

Good  afternoon. 

[She  goes  to  shelf  and  drops  the  money  in  the  old 

jar,  then  crosses  to  where  Kate  stands  looking  down 

at  her  painting.    Helen  puts  her  arm  about  her  and 

they  stand  together  looking  at  it. 

KATE 

It  frightens  me  to  have  him  see  it! 


34  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  i 

HELEN 

Because  he  knows? 

KATE 

Yes. 

HELEN 

That 's  why  I  want  him  to. 
KATE 

He  may  just  see  the  faults,  not  all  it  's  meant  to  us ! 

HELEN 

It 's  all  there !     Sometimes  it  seems  like  a  part  of 
it  was  mine. 
KATE 

Of  course  it  is! 

HELEN 

The  hope  that  was  in  me,  the  wanting  to  see  some 
thing  different  to  do  something  bigger ! 
KATE  (anxiously) 

How  can  he  see  all  that? 

HELEN 

It 's  there  !    7  see  it ! 

[Tom  Lane  enters  at  back,  he  is  angry  and  shocked. 

He  shuts  door  behind  him. 

TOM 

It 's  a  joke  on  me,  at  least  if  you  can  call  it  a  joke! 

They  've  closed  the  road ! 
HELEN 

So  Ben  Glenny  was  sayin'. 
TOM 

A  detour  out  toward  Smithtown. 

HELEN 

Yes. 

TOM 

And  blocked  at  the  other  end  five  miles  up! 


ICT  i]  THE  DETOUR  35 

JELEN 

The  road  needed  it  bad  enough ;  it  's  sort  of  a  bother, 

but  why  should  you 

KATE  (breaks  in) 
Tom!     Your  garage! 
[She  is  dismayed. 


Yes  —  they  got  me  shut  up  like  I  had  the  smallpox  ! 
IELEN  (shocked) 
I'm  stupid!    I  didn't  think  ! 

OM 

I  guess  I  'm  the  stupid  one  !  Anybody  that  buys 
gas  of  me  now  would  have  to  come  for  it  in  an  air 
ship. 

EELEN 

I  'm  sorry. 

KATE 

It  's  a  shame  ! 
IOM  (bitterly) 

I  didn't  plant  much  more  than  half  a  crop,  countin* 

on  this  garage!     Thought  I  was  too  smart  to  be 

a  farmer! 
KATE 

It  wasn't  your  fault  !    It  was  a  good  idea  ! 


That  *s  it  —  damn  ideas  ! 

[He  crosses  up  and  looks  out  window. 

HELEN 

Swearin*  won't  help  I 

KATE 

Don't,  mother. 

HELEN 

It  's  hard  ;  nobody  can  deny  that,  Tom,  especially 


36  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  i 

when  you  was  countin'  on  it  so  much.     (She  crosses 

toward  hall  door  at  left)     Don't  go  down  to  the 

Port  without  seeing  me,  Kate ;  I  've  got  a  couple  of 

errands. 

[She  exits.    Kate  crosses  up  to  Tom  who  stands  with 

back  toward  her. 

KATE 

You  'd  put  more  money  into  it  than  you  could  af 
ford? 

TOM  (without  turning) 
Yes. 

KATE 

What  will  you  do? 

TOM 

What  can  I  do?  (He  turns  on  her)  All  the  cash 
I  had,  and  I  owe  most  a  thousand  that 's  past  due. 
I  tried  to  save  money  by  doin'  the  concrete  work 
myself,  and  I  lost  a  month ;  my  stock  *s  been  here 
five  weeks  and  I  had  it  on  thirty-day  notes.  They  've 
been  waitin'  for  me  to  open ;  nobody 's  going  to 
wait  now! 

KATE 

You  '11  find  a  way  out  of  it ! 

TOM 

No,  I'm  licked! 

KATE 

I  know  better! 
TOM 

Oh,  I  'm  no  milksop,  but  I  can  be  licked.    I  was  half 

licked  even  before  this,  by  you! 
KATE 

How  silly! 


ACT  i]  THE  DETOUR  37 

TOM 

I  was  —  I  wasn't  gettin'  anywhere  with  you,  you 
and  your  mother  planning  something  together  all 
the  time  —  figuring  on  something  that  I  didn't  know 
about,  that  I  don't  suppose  I  'd  have  known  about 
if  you  'd  told  me ! 

PCATE 

Just  what  we  Ve  always  been  planning  —  that  I 
should  go  away! 

frOM 

I  wasn't  going  to  let  you  go !  Now  I  can't  help  my 
self! 

KATE 

I  hate  to  say  it,  but  you  couldn't  have  helped  it, 

anyway. 

[There  is  a  knock  on  the  outside  door. 
TOM 

You   don't   mean   that. 

[The  knock  is  repeated. 
KATE 

There  's  some  one  at  the  door ! 
TOM 

You  don't  mean  that. 

[Kate  turns  and  crosses  and  opens  door.    Weinstein, 

a  Jew,  a  trader  in  furniture,  is  in  the  doorway.    He 

is  an  elderly,  benevolent  fellow,  not  at  all  grotesque 

but  with  much  of  the  inherited  instinct  of  the  buyer. 

He  is  bland  and  smiling  and  extremely  gentle  in 

his  manner;  he  speaks  with  a  trace  of  dialect. 

WEINSTEIN 

Mrs.  Hardy,  she  lif  here? 
KATE 
Yes. 


38  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  i 

WEIN  STEIN 

I    am   Weinstein.      I   haf  p.   store  by   Huntington. 

There  is  some  curly  maple  furniture ;  I  come  to  see  it. 
KATE 

Grandmother's  curly  maple!  Mrs.  Lament  sent  you! 
WEINSTEIN 

She  said  you  haf  some  old  furniture;  maybe  it  ain't 

so  good  but  I  buy  effery  thing. 
KATE 

I  am  almost  sure  mother  won't  sell  it. 

WEINSTEIN 

Maybe  I  gif  you  something  pretty  good ! 
KATE 

Oh,  I  '11  ask  her,  but  I  don't  think  it  *s  any  use. 
Come  in. 

\_Weinstein  enters,  smilmg  and  friendly,  bowing  po 
litely  to  Tom,  who  is  still  in  a  bad  temper. 

WEINSTEIN 

Thank  you.    Good  day,  sir. 
KATE  (who  has  crossed  to  door  at  left  and  calls) 

Mother !     Mother ! 
HELEN  (out  left) 

Yes. 

KATE 

Come  here  a  minute. 

HELEN  (outside) 
All  right. 

\_Weinstein  has  been  looking  at  the  furniture  with 
the  quick  eye  of  an  expert.  He  puts  his  hand  on 
the  back  of  a  small  mahogany  rocking  chair. 

WEINSTEIN 
That 's  nice. 


ACT  i]  THE  DETOUR  39 

KATE 

That  was  Grandma's  too. 

WEINSTEIN 

I  buy  effery  thing. 
[Helen  enters. 

HELEN 

What  is  it? 
WEINSTEIN    (bowing) 
Good  day,  lady! 

KATE 

It 's  the  man  Mrs.  Lamont  spoke  about ;  he  wants 
to  look  at  Grandma's  furniture. 

WEINSTEIN 

Curly  maple  bed  it  was,  and  a  dresser. 

HELEN 

It 's  all  a  mistake.     I  'm  sorry  you  came  so  far.     I 
don't  want  to  sell  it. 
KATE 

I  told  him  that. 

1  WEINSTEIN 

I  might  look  at  it? 

HELEN 

I  don't  see  what  good  that  would  do,  but  I  don't 
mind  if  you  want  to. 

WEINSTEIN 

If  it  *s  good  curly  maple  I  like  to  buy  it ;  if  I  can't 
buy  it,  I  like  to  look  at  it  anyhow. 
'HELEN 

Well,  you  can't  buy  it,  and  I  don't  know  how  good 
it  is,  I  sort  of  value  it  for  the  sentiment. 

i  WEINSTEIN 

I  buy  effery  thing !    Maybe  we  look  at  it  now  ? 


40  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  i 

HELEN 

Lookin'  at  it  won't  hurt  it ;  it 's  right  upstairs. 
[Exit  to  hall,  Helen  and  Weinstem.     Tom  crosses 
down  to  Kate. 
TOM 

You  said  I  couldn't  have  helped  your  going  away, 
even  if  I  'd  made  good  money,  like  I  thought  I 
would? 

KATE 

No.     I  am  going  to  New  York. 
TOM 
When? 

KATE 

When  I  can.     Not  for  a  long  time,  but  I  'm  going ! 
TOM 

This  summer? 
KATE 

Not  till  we  can  get  the  money.     I  don't  know  when, 

but  it  doesn't  matter  how  long  it  is  —  I'm  going! 

TOM 

Do  you  want  to  go? 

KATE 

Of  course  I  do. 

TOM 

I  don't  know  —  you  don't  tell  me  much  —  but  if  it 

wasn't  for  her  you  wouldn't  go. 
KATE 

If  it  wasn't  for  her,  I  wouldn't  be  here  at  all ! 
TOM 

She  wants  you  to  go! 

KATE 

Because  she  knows  what  living  in  a  place  like  this 
all  your  life  is  like ! 


ACT  i]  THE  DETOUR  41 

TOM 

How  does  she?     She  knows  what  it  was  like  for  her; 

she  don't  know  what  it  will  be  like  for  you ! 
KATE 

It 's  the  same  thing. 
TOM 

She  's  stronger  than  you,  she  likes  fighting  better ! 

You  'd  be  happy  here,  or  anywhere ;  if  you  'd  let 

yourself  care  about  some  one  —  about  me  i 
KATE 

I  can't,  Tom!     No! 

[She  steps  away  from  him  nervously,  he  follows. 
TOM 

You  could! 
KATE  (desperately) 

No  —  No I  don't  even  want  to ! 

TOM 

I  'm  in  trouble,  I  'm  going  to  lose  a  lot  of  money  — 

maybe    all    I  've    got  —  if    it    wasn't    for    that    I 

wouldn't   let   you   go  —   I  'd   keep    you  —  in   spite 

of  her! 
KATE 

Don't,  Tom !    Mother  '11  hear  you ! 

[She  steps  away  from  him  as  Helen  and  Wemstein 

enter. 
HELEN  (as  she  enters} 

I  don't  care !    Somehow  it  wouldn't  seem  right ! 

WEIN  STEIN 

It 's  a  good  offer ! 

HELEN 

Oh,  yes,  but  I  couldn't!  That  set  was  mother's 
wedding  present !  It 's  fifty  years  old !  It  seems  as 
if  it  was  one  of  the  first  things  I  can  remember! 


42  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  i 

Mostly  when  I  think  of  her,  it 's  the  way  she  looked 
lying  there  so  long. 

WEINSTEIN 

Veil,  I  gif  you  a  new  bed  for  it  that  nobody  effer 
died   on. 
HELEN 

No. 

WEINSTEIN 

And  maybe  a  hundred  dollars ! 

HELEN 

I  couldn't. 

WEINSTEIN 

Even  a  hundred  and  fifty! 

HELEN 

No,   I    won't.      I   don't    care   what    you    offer!      I 
wouldn't  sell  it  for  —  (She  stops  and  turns  on  him 
suddenly)     You  wouldn't  give  me  three  hundred  dol 
lars  for  it,  would  you ! 
WEINSTEIN  (steps  back  in  alarm) 
Three  hundred  dollars ! 

HELEN 

I  'm  glad  of  it !    I  'd  been  sorry,  I  know. 

WEINSTEIN 

A  hundred  and  seventy-fife. 

HELEN 

No. 

WEINSTEIN 

Veil,  it 's  too  bad.     (He  crosses  but  stops  in  ihe 
door  and  turns)     Effen  two  hundred? 
HELEN 
No. 

WEINSTEIN 

Veil (He  hesitates)     Good-by! 


ACT  i]  THE  DETOUR  43 

HELEN 

Good-by.      {He  exits,    shutting   the  outside  door) 

That  shows  you  what  a  person  will  do  for  money! 

I  'd  have  been  ashamed  always ! 
TOM  (faces  her  angrily) 

Kate  was  tellin'  me  that  she  's  going  to  New  York 

as  soon  as  she  can. 
HELEN 

Yes,  she  is. 
TOM  (bitterly) 

And  I  was  tellin*  her  that  if  it  wasn't  for  you  she 

wouldn't  ever  go. 

HELEN 

Maybe,  but  you  see  there  is  me ! 
TOM 

And  there 's  me!     She  can't  go   till   she  gets   the 
money,  and  money  's  scarce  around  here ! 

HELEN 

Yes. 

TOM 

Maybe  I  '11  have  something  to  say  before  that  time 
comes ! 

HELEN 

Say  it  now? 
TOM 

I  can't !    You  know  that ! 

HELEN 

Now  's  the  time!    You  want  to  go,  don't  you,  Kate? 
KATE 

I  told  him  I  did. 

TOM 

I  got  a  year  anyhow !    I  won't  let  her  go ! 
[There  is  a  knock  on  door. 


44  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  i 

HELEN 

Wait  a  minute.  (She  crosses  and  opens  door.  Wein- 
stein  is  in  doorway  with  Jake,  his  helper,  who  has 
several  old  quilts  in  his  arms.  Helen  looks  at  him 
coldly.  What  do  you  want  now? 

WEINSTEIN 

The  curly  maple. 

HELEN 

I  thought  you  didn't  want  to  pay  me  three  hundred 
dollars  for  it? 

WEINSTEIN 

I  don't,  but  I  got  to.     Come  in,  Jake. 
[He  enters. 

JAKE 

All  right,  popper. 

[Jake  enters  —  a  Jewish  boy  with  a  comic  likeness 

to  Weinstem. 
HELEN  (looking  at  Tom) 

You  've  got  a  year  anyway,  you  said,  Tom ! 
WEINSTEIN  (counting  money  from  pocketbook  on  table) 

Three  hundred  dollars ! 
KATE 

You  *re  not  going  to  sell  it ! 

HELEN 

Yes I  am !    1 11  move  your  bed  into  my  room. 

There  's  that  old  cot  you  can  sleep  on  to-night 

You  're  going  to  New  York  to-morrow  1 
KATE 

To-morrow ! 

[Helen  turns  to  Weinstem. 

HELEN 

Where's  the  money!     (She  takes  it  from  Weinstem 


ACT  i]  THE  DETOUR  45 

and  counts)     Yes.     (She  turns  to  Kate)     Take  him 
upstairs. 
KATE 

Without  father's  knowing? 

HELEN 

The  bed  and  the  dresser!    Go  along! 

KATE 

Yes,  mother. 

[She  crosses   to  door  at  left.      Weinstein  -follows. 

WEINSTEIN 

Come  along,  Jakie. 
JAKE 

Yes,  Popper ! 

[Jake,  Kate,  Wemstem  exit  door  left 
TOM  (to  Helen) 

You  know  I  was   right!     You  knew  I   could   stop 

her  if  I  only  had  a  chance !     That 's  why  you  took 

that  money ! 

HELEN 

No,  I  didn't  know  it.    I  don't  think  you  could. 
TOM 

But  you  weren't  sure. 

HELEN 

No! 

TOM 

How   do   you   know   she'll   be  happier  there   than 

she  'd  be  here  with  me? 
HELEN 

I  don't  know  much  about  there,  Tom.    But  I  know 

a  lot  about  here,  so  she  's  going ! 
TOM 

Nobody  's  got  a  right  to  spoil  another  person's  life ! 


46  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  i 

HELEN 

That 's  why  I  ain't  going  to  let  anybody  spoil 
hers !  You  say  you  could  stop  her  going  if  you  had 
another  year.  Perhaps  you  could  —  you  live  next 
door,  you  see  her  every  day  and  there  's  hardly  any 
body  else — and  you're  young,  and  she's  young  I 
Don't  I  know!  Haven't  I  been  through  it  all! 
Youth  's  all  she  's  got  that 's  fine,  and  you  want  to 
take  it  for  yourself!  You  want  to  make  her  stay 
here  and  do  ugly  things,  dirty  things  with  her  hands, 
all  day  long  —  and  I  want  her  to  go  where  she  can 
be  big,  and  free  —  and  use  her  hands  just  to  make 
things  that 's  beautiful. 
[Stephen  Hardy  enters  from  outside. 

STEVE 

Hardly  enough  cabbages  to  pay  for  pulling.  I 
scarcely  made  up  $  truck  load  between  'em  and  the 
beans. 

TOM 

You  saw  what  they  *ve  done  to  the  road,  didn't  you? 

STEVE 

Yes  —  I  guess  it  won't  help  you  much  with  your 
new  garage  business.  I  never  did  believe  in  it;  a 
man  's  a  farmer  or  he  ain't ! 

TOM 

It 's  deeper  than  that.     A  man  's  a  fool  or  he  ain't. 
I  guess  it 's  easy  enough  to  tell  about  me ! 
[Weinstein's  voice  is  heard  out  left. 

WEINSTEIN  (outside) 

Easy  now!  Hold  your  end  vay  up!  (At  the  sound 
Steve  turns  and  looks  at  door  in  amazement.  Wein- 
stein's  voice  goes  on)  Hold  your  end  vay  up, 
Jakey ! 


ACT  i]  THE  DETOUR  47 

JAKEY  (outside) 
All  right,  Popper. 

STEVE 

Who's  that? 

HELEN 

It 's  the  man  from  Huntington ;  he  buys  furniture. 
I  sold  him  a  couple  of  things. 

[Kate  enters  and  holds  the  door  open.  She  is  fol 
lowed  by  Wemstein  and  Jake,  who  carry  the  head 
board  of  a  wooden  bed  covered  by  one  of  their  old 
quilts. 

KATE 

Be  careful  of  the  door! 

WEINSTEIN 

Careful,  Jakie! 

JAKE 

All  right,  Popper. 

[As  they  start  to  cross  the  stage,  Stephen  steps  for 
ward  and  speaks. 

STEVE 

What  you  got  there? 

WEINSTEIN 

Vot? 

[He  is  carrying  his  end  of  the  bed  in  such  a  way  as 
to  practically  place  himself  behind  the  bed  so  that 
he  can't  see  Stephen. 
STEVE  (repeats  sternly) 
What  you  got  there? 

WEINSTEIN 

Vot? 

[He  lowers  his  end  suddenly. 

JAKE 

Look  out,  Popper! 


48  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  i 

[He  catches  it. 
WEINSTEIN  (sees  Stephen) 

Excuse  me.     I  didn't  see  you ! 
STEVE  (to  Helen) 

What  'd  you  sell  this  man  ? 
HELEN 

The  bed  and  the  dresser  from  our  room. 
STEVE 

Have  you  gone  crazy ! 

HELEN 

No. 

STEVE  (to  Wemsteln) 
Take  it  upstairs  again. 

WEINSTEIN 

I  bought  them  of  the  lady ! 
STEVE 

You  '11  get  your  money  back ;  do  as  I  tell  you. 

WEINSTEIN 

But 

HELEN 

I  sold  'em  to  him,  Stephen! 
STEVE 

Put  it  back!     This  is  my  house! 

HELEN 

'T  was  mother's   and  she  gave  it  to  me,  and  I  've 
sold  it ! 
STEVE  (to  Weinstein) 

I  wouldn't   advise  you   to   make  any   trouble  here, 
not  with  me !    I  tell  you  to  take  that  thing  upstairs ! 

WEINSTEIN 

It  was  a  fair  bargain. 
STEVE  (bitterly) 

Fair!     What  does  your  kind  know  about  fairness? 


ACT  i]  THE  DETOUR  49 

You  come  here  when  you  see  there  's  no  man  around 
and  start  to  strip  my  house,  leave  me  without  a  bed 
to  sleep  in!  We've  had  talk  enough.  (He  steps 
forward  angrily)  You'd  better  put  it  back! 

HELEN 

I  'm  going  to  move  Kate's  bed  in  our  room ;  and 
he  's  a  fool  if  he  puts  it  back,  because  it 's  his  and 
I  'm  going  to  keep  what  I  got. 
STEVE 

I  suppose  you  want  to  be  robbed !  That  set 's  worth 
money !  Kevin's  wife  sold  an  old  bed  and  dresser 
no  better  n'  that  a  while  ago  for  almost  a  hundred 
dollars. 

HELEN 

I  know,  she  was  always  flighty.     (She  holds  up  her 
roll  of  bills)     I  sold  mine  for  three  hundred. 
STEVE  (in  awe) 
Three  —  hundred ! 

HELEN 

Dollars ! 

STEVE 

Three  hundred! 

WEINSTEIN   (looking  at  him  anxiously) 
Veil? 

HELEN 

Go  on. 

[She  nods  toward  the  door.     Jake  and  Wemstein 

exit  with  the  bed. 

CURTAIN 


ACT  II 

The  Hardy's  side  porch  a  few  hours  later.  The 
porch,  which  is  not  raised  above  the  stage  level,  takes 
up  the  greater  part  of  the  stage.  Over  this  porch  is 
a  pagoda-like  roof  above  which  the  second-story  win?- 
dows  of  the  house  are  shown.  A  door  and  a  window  at 
right  of  the  door  open  onto  the  kitchen.  On  the  porch 
are  two  chairs,  a  small  table,  and  a  bench.  At  left  of 
porch  a  fence  makes  a  turning,  as  though  here  was  a 
sharp  curve  in  the  highway;  a  tree  is  near  by,  and  just 
inside  of  this  fence  and  on  this  tree  the  detour  sign. 
A  gate  just  above  this  opens  into  the  back  yard.  In 
this  scene  everything  must  be  sacrificed  to  the  acting 
space  which  is  the  porch  itself. 

At  rise  of  curtain,  Stephen  Hardy,  a  pipe  in  his 
mouth,  sits  alone  on  the  porch,  he  is  thoughtful  and 
silent,  he  just  sits  slowly  puffing  at  his  pipe.  In  a  mo 
ment  Tom  Lane  enters  in  the  road  at  back,  walking 
slowly.  He  enters  the  yard  through  the  gate  and  steps 
onto  porch.  Steve  glances  at  him  without  moving. 

STEVE 

Oh. 

[Tom  sits,  takes  out  his  pipe  and  fills  it  but  makes 
no  answer  and  hunts  in  his  pocket  for  a  match. 
TOM 
Light? 

[Steve  throws  him  a  box  of  matches,  Tom  lights  his 
pipe  and  tosses  them  back;  both  smoke  in  silence. 


n]  THE  DETOUR  51 


Ought  to  cut  that  field  of  yours  down  by  this  fence 

—  it  '11  spoil  on  you. 

>M 

Yes.     (For  a  moment  they  puff  away)     Steve  —  I'm 

in  a  hell  of  a  mess! 
JTEVE 

Yes? 
TOM 

Yes! 

3TEVE 

Talkin'  won't  help  it.  (There  is  a  pause)  You  don't 
half  farm  your  place  lately;  seems  like  you  had 
something  better  to  do.  Maybe  you  got  too  much 
land.  I  don't  know  but  I  'd  like  to  own  that  twenty 
acres  of  yours  —  joinin'  onto  mine. 
TOM 

You  can. 

STEVE 

You  mean  that? 

TOM 

Yes,  you  *ve  always  thought  you  could  do  more  'n  I 
could  with  it. 

STEVE 

I  'd  lay  it  out  different.    I  Ve  had  my  eye  on  it  ever 
since  I  was  a  boy. 
I  TOM 

I  always  thought  you  had.  Well  ...  if  I  've  got 
to  sell,  I  'd  rather  it  would  be  yours  than  any 
body's. 

STEVE 

All  that  bothers  me  is   cash. 


52  THE  DETOUR  [ACT 

TOM  (alarmed) 
I  need  cash  bad. 

STEVE 

What 's  the  twenty  acres  worth? 
TOM 

Six  thousand. 
STEVE 

Five  's  enough,  two^-fifty  an  acre. 
TOM 

It 's  time  more  'n  it  's  price  with  me.    You  want  that 

land? 
STEVE  (earnestly) 

Yes  — I  do! 

TOM 

You  can  have  it  for  five  thousand. 

STEVE 

It 's  the  cash  bothers  me ! 

TOM 

I  telephoned  the  jobber  to  New  York  just  now  an' 
I  asked  him  for  an  extension  on  my  note;  he 
wouldn't  do  anything.  I  offered  him  his  stock  back 
and  he  laughed  at  me !  He  's  going  to  get  out  an 
attachment,  if  he  ain't  already. 

STEVE 

That's  bad! 

TOM 

What's  the  most  cash  you  could  raise  for  me  to 
day? 

STEVE 

Five  hundred. 
TOM 

It  wouldn't  help!  (He  sits  back  and  draws  on  his 
pipe)  My  pipe  's  out ! 


ACT  n]  THE  DETOUR  53 

STEVE  (tosses  him  box  of  matches) 

Here!  (Tom  relights  pipe)  I'd  pay  another  five 
hundred  in  four  weeks ;  my  potatoes  will  fetch  that. 

TOM 

It 's  to-day  I  want  it.  I  '11  sell  you  my  twenty  acres 
for  five  thousand  —  that 's  fifteen  hundred  cash 
above  what  it 's  mortgaged  for,  and  you  can  let  the 
mortgage  stand. 

STEVE 

Five  hundred  is  every  cent  I  've  got  in  the  bank,  an' 
I  was  figuring  that  for  sbmething  else. 

TOM: 

Then  we  can't  trade. 

[For  a  moment  they  both  smoke  m  silence. 

STEVE 

Gimme  back  my  matches  !  (  Tom  tosses  them  to  him 
and  he  puts  them  in  his  pocket)  Gimme  two  days  to 
raise  this  money? 

TOM 

Two  hours. 

STEVE 

I  '11  try !  (He  rises  from  his  chair)  I  only  got  one 
chance ;  wait  till  I  telephone. 

[He  exits  into  kitchen,  Tom  sits  in  thought.  Helen's 
face  is  seen  for  a  moment  as  she  glances  out  of  win 
dow  from  the  kitchen.  A  moment  later  she  comes  to 
the  open  doorway;  she  has  evidently  been  baking,  as 
her  arms  are  covered  with  flour,  and  as  she  speaks  to 
Tom,  she  wipes  them  on  her  apron. 

HEKEN 

What 's  he  calling  Ben  Glenny  for  on  the  telephone? 
TOM 

He  didn't  say. 


54  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  n 

[Helen  opens  tlie  screen  door  and  steps  out  on 
porch. 

HELEN 

Nothin  's  upsets  me  more  *n  his  law  business  with  Ben 
Glenny !  Ben  's  all  right  as  a  man,  but  a  body  can't 
seem  to  think  of  him  like  he  was  human.  To  me  he 
always  seems  sort  of  a  walking  calamity ! 

TOM 

Ben  ain't  got  no  law  business!  He  never  was  ad 
mitted  to  the  bar ! 

HELEN 

He  's  County  Clerk,  Notary  Public  and  most  every 
thing,  especially  Tax  Collector.  Last  time  he  was 
here  I  told  him  as  long  as  he  was  Tax  Collector  I 
didn't  know  but  what  it  would  be  more  convenient 
if  I  was  to  arrange  to  board  him. 

TOM 

That  *s  like  the  sort  of  things  you  *re  always  sayin' ! 
Things  you  don't  mean,  and  you  know  folks  know 
you  don't  mean.  You  say  'em  just  because  they  seem 
kind  of  funny  to  you. 

HELEN 

I  s'pose  so     •    ' 

TOM 

It 's  sort  of  an  aggravatin*  habit. 

HELEN 

So  he  9s  told  me,  often ! 
TOM 

Excuse  me  for  speakin'  of  it. 

HELEN 

Oh,  I  don't  mind!  It 's  just  my  way  of  being  im 
polite,  like  you  smokin'  your  pipe  on  my  porch  with 
out  askin'  me  if  you  could. 


ACT  n]  THE  DETOUR  55 

TOM 

Oh! 

[He  knocks  the  ashes  out  of  his  pipe  hastily  and 

drops  it  m  his  pocket. 
HELEN 

You  didn't  have  to  stop.    I  ain't  goin*  to. 
TOM 

I  guess  you  couldn't. 

HELEN 

I  guess  not  —  I  get  so  tired  of  sayin'  nothin'  but 
just  exactly  what  *s  so,  and  listen  to  folks  that  don't 
ever  mean  the  least  mite  more  'n  they  say,  or  the 
least  rnite  less !  What 's  the  use  of  your  imagina 
tion! 

TOM 

Mine?     I  ain't  got  any,  have  I? 

HELEN 

Oh,  I  guess  so  —  but  it 's  like  a  muscle;  it  gets  awful 
puny  if  you  don't  use  it. 

TOM 

I  'd  rather  have  one  real  dollar  than  dream  I  was 
a  millionaire! 

HELEN 

I  s'pose  so  —  I  'd  rather  have  one  real  dream  than 
be  a  millionaire ! 

TOM 

Well,  it 's  all  right  so  long  as  we  're  both  satisfied. 
Where's  Kate? 

HELEN 

At  the  Port,  buying  some  things. 
TOM 

Did  you  mean  what  you  said  a  while  ago that  she 

was  goin'  to  New  York  to-morrow. 


56  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  n 

HELEN 

No. 

TOM 

Just  another  dream? 

HELEN 

She  *s  goin'  to-night. 

TOM 

To-night!    When  did  you  settle  on  that? 

HELEN 

Just  a  minute  ago  —  (She  looks  at  him)     I  hap 
pened  to  think  of  something  that  frightened  me. 

TOM 

If  I  was  her  father  I  wouldn't  let  her  go. 

HELEN 

I  believe  you ;  you  're  a  lot  like  Steve 

TOM 

I  hope  so,  Steve  Hardy  's  a  sensible  man,  and  an 

honest  man! 
HELEN 

And  a  good  man.    Never  was  wild  in  his  life,  an'  he  *s 

truthful,  and  he  never  drank  or  gambled. 
TOM 

I  know. 

HELEN 

And  you  never  did. 
TOM 

Never  wanted  to. 

HELEN 

That 's   a   comfort. 
TOM 

A  lot  of  good  it  does  me!     You  don't  want  her  to 
marry  me. 


ACT  n]  THE  DETOUR  57 

HELEN 

No. 

TOM 

Why? 

HELEN 

Oh,  I  guess  it 's  because  she  's  got  too  much  of  what  ,•_ 

I  used  to  be  in  her. 
TOM 

If  I  'm  like  him,  and  she 's  like  you,  why  can't  we  be 

married  same  as  you  was  ? 
HELEN 

I  said  she  was  like  what  I  u$ed  to  be. 
TOM 

If  you  ask  me  I  M  say  it's  him  she  takes  after  .f 

(Helen  laughs)     She  does!     She's  slower  thinkin', 

like  him,  and  more  set,  more  contented.   She  's  ouieter 

than  you,  and  she  ain't  so  smart. 

HELEN 

You  flatter  me! 
TOM  (seriously) 

That  ain't  how  I  meant  it.     She  's  just  what  I  like; 

that 's  why  I  don't  want  her  to  go.    I  want  to  marry 

her ;  I  been  figurin'  on  it  two  years. 
HELEN 

That 's  longer  than  you  Ve  been  planning  your  ga 
rage! 
TOM 

Yes,  I  been  so  busy  buildin'  the  garage  I  ain't  seen 

much  of  her. 
HELEN 

But  it  wouldn't  have  done  to  neglect  the  garage. 
TOM 

No. 


58  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  n 

HELEN 

There  's  something  in  the  Bible  about  trying  to  serve 
two  masters.     (Steve  enters  from  kitchen  and  sits) 
What  did  you  want  of  Ben  Glenny? 
STEVE 
Money ! 

HELEN 

You  've  got  more  imagination  than  I  gave  you  credit 
for. 

STEVE 

He  's  goin'  to  drive  around  pretty  soon. 
HELEN  (alarmed) 

You  ain't  tryin'  to  raise  more  money  on  this  place? 

STEVE 

I  'm  try  in'  to. 

[She  looks  at  him  and  sighs  at  the  hopelessness  of 
it  as  Kate  comes  rapidly  along  the  road  and  enters 
gaily  through  the  gate.     She  has  with  lier  a  long 
cardboard  box,  a  hat  box  and  several  small  pack 
ages.    As  she  turns  a  corner  of  the  house  and  sees 
them,  she  stops  for  a  moment,  startled. 
KATE 
Oh! 

STEVE 

Been  down  to  the  Port? 

KATE 

Yes. 

STEVE 

To  Neppers  ? 
KATE  (evasively) 

I  was  there  for  a  minute  —  yes. 
STEVE 

It  didn't  take  you  long  to  learn  the  stock. 


ACT  n]  THE  DETOUR  59 

KATE 

I  — I 

STEVE  (rises,  sternly) 

What  is  it  ?    You  're  hidin'  somethin' ! 
KATE  (desperately) 

Mother!    Doesn't  he  know? 
HELEN 

It's  all  right,  dear!     (She  puts  her  hand  on  Kate's 

shoulder  and  turns  to  Steve)     She  ain't  going1  to 

work  for  Nepper  this  year,  Stephen ;  she  's  going  to 

New  York. 
STEVE 

No. 

HELEN 

She  's  going  to  study  art. 
STEVE 

That 's  nonsense ! 
HELEN 

We  don't  think  so! 

STEVE 

Think!     That 's  the  trouble  with  yer,  both  of  yer; 
you  don't  think! 
HELEN 

Maybe  not,  but  we  feel  a  lot. 

STEVE 

Study  art! 

HELEN; 

Yes. 

STEVE 

I  won't  have  it! 

HELEN 

I  made  my  mind  up  to*  it,  whether  I  think  or  I  don't, 
over  ten  years  ago.     It 's  just  as  much  a  part  of 


60  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  n 

my  life  —  what  I  've  planned  she  's  goin'  to  do  and 
be  —  as  the  work  I  do  is,  or  this  old  dress  that  I  've 
worn  and  worn  and  worn  until  I  wouldn't  know  my 
self  in  any  other.  I  couldn't  any  more  live  without 
the  hope  of  what 's  coming  to  her  than  I  could  live 
without  drink  or  food. 
STEVE 

She  's  my  child  as  much  as  she  's  yours ! 

HELEN 

No,  not  quite  so  much.     She  's  your  daughter,  but  I 
guess  I  did  a  little  more  for  her  than  you  did. 

STEVE 

When  was  you  plannin'  for  her  to  go? 
HELEN 

To-night ! 
KATE  (startled) 

To-night,  mother? 

HELEN 

Yes.  Mary  Barton  's  going  up  on  the  six  o'clock 
train.  She  was  here  just  after  you  left.  She  is 
going  visitin'  her  sister  way  up  town  in  New  York, 
an'  she  said  she  could  keep  you  over  night  just  as 
well  as  not. 
STEVE 

What  would  she  do  to-morrow? 

HELEN 

That  Mr.  Lament,  an  artist,  that 's  taken  the  bun 
galow  for  the  summer,  is  goin'  to  tell  us  the  names 
of  the  best  teachers  —  his  wife  promised  —  and  the 
Y.  W.  C.  A.  folks  in  New  York  will  help  her  find  a 
place  to  board. 
STEVE 

How  long  before  she  comes  back? 


ACT  n]  THE  DETOUR  61 

HELEN  (bitterly) 
Here! 

STEVE 

Yes. 

HELEN 

That  *s  for  her  to  say  —  I  been  workin'  a  long  time; 

she  's  got  to  do  the  rest. 
STEVE 

What 's  the  sense  of  it,  I  can't  see.    Can  you,  Tom? 
TOM 

There  ain't  any. 

STEVE 

There !    You  heard  that  ? 
HELEN  (wearily) 

I  wasn't  listenin' ! 
TOM 

I  guess  she  heard  me  right  enough,  only  I  guess  she 

thinks  it  ain't  any  of  my  business. 

STEVE 

It  could  be  easy  enough ;  I  always  thought  't  would 
be!  I  thought,  seein*  you  two  together  so  much, 
that  sooner  or  later  you  'd  ask  her  to  marry 
you. 

TOM 

I  did. 

HELEN 

And  she  said  no. 

STEVE  (angrily) 
She  did. 

TOM  (spitefully) 

She  didn't  —  she  wouldn't  say  yes,  but  she  never 
really  said  no,  so  as  a  fellar  would  know  she  meant 
it !  The  no  come  from  somewhere's  else ! 


62  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  n 

STEVE 

What  do  you  mean? 
TOM 

From  her! 

[He  looks  at  Helen  bitterly. 

STEVE 

Hold  on.    Let 's  get  the  rights  of  this ! 

HELEN 

That 's  easy.     Do  you  s'pose  I  'd  try  to  make  her 
do  anything  she  didn't  want  to  do. 
TOM 

Yes,  I  do. 

STEVE 

She  can't !    I  guess  I  figure  in  this ! 

HELEN 

I  wouldn't!    Kate! 

KATE 

Yes,  mother! 

HELEN 

You  've  heard  them  —  I  want  you  to  tell  your  father 
the  truth! 

TOM 

One  way  or  the  other.  You  know  what  I  want  you 
to  say.  I  may  be  in  hard  luck  now,  but  I  won't  be 
always.  I  'm  a  man  that  means  to  get  ahead ! 

STEVE 

And  he  will !  I  know  Tom.  I  want  you  to  an 
swer  him,  Kate! 

HELEN 

And  so  do  I !  He  offers  you  one  thing  —  I  guess 
you  know  what  it  is  —  all 's  you  've  got  to  do  is  to 
open  your  eyes  and  look  around  you. 


ACT  n]  THE  DETOUR  63 

STEVE 

What  are  you  offerin'  her  that 's  so  much  better? 
Just  what  is  it? 

HELEN 

It 's  hard  to  say  —  just  in  words,  but  I  think  she 
knows. 
STEVE 

Well,  I  don't  know! 

HELEN 

Tom  here  said  a  while  ago  I  was  always  dreaming1  — 
that  ?s  so  I  guess  —  (She  turns  to  Kate  with  a  sud 
den  overflow  of  great  tenderness)  And  that 's  what 
I  *m  offerin*  you,  my  dear !  One  of  my  dreams  — 
come  true. 

KATE 

And  I  'm  going  to  take  it,  mother,  and  make  it  true. 

HELEN 

I  knew  you  was.  (She  puts  one  hand  on  Kate's  shoul 
der  and  faces  them)  There  are  times  when  I  Ve  got 
courage  enough  to  laugh  even  at  a  man!  (She  turns 
to  Kate)  Now  you  run  upstairs.  There  's  lots  for 
you  to  do  if  you  're  goin'  to-night. 

KATE 

But  father? 

HELEN 

I  've  tried  hard  to  be  a  good  wife  to  him,  I  guess 
he  knows  that.  I  hope  he  doesn't  think  that  be 
cause  I  never  made  a  real  fight  before  that  I  ain't 
got  the  spirit  to  make  one  now.  You  run  along  — 
I  '11  tend  to  everything. 
KATE 

Yes,  mother. 
[She  exits. 


64  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  n 

STEVE 

You  talk  big.      Where  's   the  money   comin'  from  ? 
Three  hundred  dollars  won't  last  forever ! 

HELEN 

We  got  a  little  more. 

STEVE 

How  much? 

HELEN 

Just  a  little  we  saved  up. 

STEVE 

Seems  like  I  was  the  only  one  around  this  place 
that  couldn't  save  nothin'.  Seems  like  what  hap 
pened  to  a  girl  like  that  was  more  important  than 
what  happened  to  me !  We  '11  talk  about  this  again 
after  I  see  Ben  Glenny,  but  I  don't  want  you  to 
think  I  'm  going  to  stand  for  any  nonsense. 
[He  exits  at  left  around  the  house. 

TOM   (with  rather  malicious  pleasure) 
He  's  mad ! 

HELEN 

He  '11  get  over  it. 

TOM  (doubtfully) 
I  don't  know! 

HELEN 

You  've  never  been  married.    If  you  had  you  'd  know 
there  ain't  anything  else  for  married  folks  to  do. 
TOM 

I  don't  blame  him  none  for  bein*  mad! 

HELEN 

It 's  natural.     He  thinks  he  ought  to  be  let  to  say 
what  Kate  does  with  her  life. 
TOM 

Of  course. 


ACT  n]  THE  DETOUR  65 

HELEN 

Because  it 's  right  that  every  man  should  be  the  mas 
ter,  and  decide  things  that  really  matter.  Women 
ought  to  just  cook,  and  clean,  and  sew,  and  maybe 
chop  a  little  wood,  and  have  the  babies. 

TOM 

That 's  how  God  meant  it  to  be. 

HELEN 

And  if  a  woman  sometimes  gets  to  thinkin'  it  ain't 
quite  fair,  if  she  sets  herself  to  sort  of  change  things 
a  little,  she  's  flyin'  in  the  face  of  Providence ! 

TOM 

I  look  at  it  like  this  —  a  fellar  ought  not  to  be  hard 
on  a  woman  if  she  kinder  fusses  once  in  a  while. 

HELEN 

So  long  as  she  ain't  let  to  do  anything? 

TOM 

That's  it! 

HELEN 

That  idea  ain't  original,  is  it? 
TOM  (suspiciously) 

Whatter  you  mean? 
HELEN 

You  borrowed  it! 
TOM 

Who  from? 

HELEN 

Adam! 

[She  exits  to  house  and  through  the  window  she  is 
seen  for  a  moment  at  her  kitchen  work.  Tom  turns 
sulkily  and  crosses  left  as  Dora  Lamont  crosses  m 
from  left  on  the  road. 


66  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  n 

DOHA 

Oh,  Mr.  Tom !    I  was  on  my  way  to  see  you ! 
[Tom  crosses  to  her  and  they  ^st  and  with  the  fence 
between  them. 

TOM 

There  ain't  much  use  my  hangin'  around  my  place 
with  the  road  blocked.  (He  points  angrily  at  the 
detour  sign  on  the  tree)  This  is  as  far  as  anybody 
can  go. 

DORA 

That 's  what  I  wanted  to  talk  to  you  about.  They 
have  put  this  barricade  up,  but  the  workmen  aren't 
here  yet. 

TOM 

They  've  been  here  and  gone.  Nobody  *s  goin'  to  do 
any  hurryin'  about  this  job,  you  know;  it 's  the  tax 
payers'  money. 

DORA 

My  husband  wants  you  to  let  our  car  out  of  your 
garage  and  bring  it  up  to  the  bungalow  right  away. 

TOM 
Oh! 

DORA 

You  could  lift  that  barricade  away,  couldn't  you? 
TOM 

Yes,  I  could. 
DORA 

Well?     What  is  it? 

TOM 

Nothin',  only  you  see  your  car  was  all  I  had,  the 
only  one  —  I  sort  of  hate  to  part  with  it. 
DORA  (smiling) 

That 's  about  the  way  we  feel  about  it. 


ACT  H]  THE  DETOUR  ;          67 

TOM 

I  know.    I  '11  bring  it  up. 
DORA 

I  'm  sorry,  but  after  all  you  have  that  great  big 

farm! 
TOM 

Oh,  I  'm  all  right. 

DORA 

That  ys  good.  We  '11  expect  the  car  some  time  to 
day. 

TOM 

You  '11  get  it. 

[Dora  exits  at  left  the  same  way  she  came.  Tom 
stands  for  a  moment  in  gloomy  thought  as  Kate 
enters  to  the  porch  from  the  kitchen.  Kate  has 
put  on  her  pretty  new  dress  —  quite  modern  in  cut 
—  and  with  it  she  has  put  on  a  new  air  of  coquetry 
as  though  she  had  suddenly  blossomed  into  woman 
hood  and  rejoiced  in  its  power. 

KATE 

HeUo,  Tom! 

TOM 

Kate!     (He  steps   toward  her  quite  overwhelmed) 

Kate!     What  you  been  doin'  to  yourself? 
KATE 

Oh,  just  trying  on  my  new  dress. 
TOM 

Yes  —  yes  —  I  see ! 

[He  turns  away  as  if  to  go. 

KATE 

Tom?  (  He  takes  another  step  and  she  speaks 
louder)  Tom ! 


68  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  n 

TOM 

Well? 

[He  stops  but  lie  doesn't  turn. 

KATE 

Turn  around  here,  Tom  Lane!      (He  turns  slowly 

and  faces  her)     Aren't  you  going  to  tell  me  how 

you  like  it? 
TOM 

About  as  much  as  the  fellar  likes  to  hear  the  Judge 

say,  "And  may  God  have  mercy  on  your  soul." 
KATE  (hurt) 

You  're  spoiling  everything ! 
TOM  (sadly) 

Something  is,   right  enough. 
KATE 

The  only  decent  dress  I  ever  h,ad. 
TOM 

I  didn't   say  it  was   pretty  —  I  didn't   say   how  I 

thought  you  looked  in  it  —  I  didn't  dare  to. 
KATE 

Why  not? 
TOM 

I  ain't  an  artist  —  artists  like  things  that  are  pretty 

just  because  they  are  pretty  —  I  don't  care  nothin* 

about  'em  unless  they  're  mine! 
KATE  (archly) 

Meaning  the  dress? 
TOM 

You  know  well  enough  what  I  mean! 
KATE 

Yes,  I  know.     I  'm  sorry,  Tom !     I  don't  want  to 

go  away  —  with  you  hating  me!     You  're  mad  with 

me  now,  and  I  know  how  hard  it  is  for  you  to  for- 


ACT  n]  THE  DETOUR  69 

give  anybody  that  makes  you  mad  —  but,  Tom  — 

you  're  not  going  to  be  angry  with  me  always. 
TOM 

A  lot  you  'd  care !     How  much  will  you  think  about 

this    place,    or    anybody    here,    once    you    get    out 

of  it! 
KATE   (shocked) 

Why !     There  's  father  —  and  mother ! 
TOM  (darkly) 

I  know,  plenty  of  girls  get  to  be  ashamed  of  their 

folks ! 

KATE 

I  wouldn't,  and  of  course  1  couldn't  help  thinking 

about  you  sometimes.     Tom,  remembering  things  — 

we  've  been  such  good  friends. 
TOM 

It  don't  take  long  to  lose  a  friend. 
KATE 

You  Ve  blaming  me  because  I  'm  going ! 
TOM  (bitterly) 

No  !    I  'm  blaming  her! 
KATE 

You  mustn't !     All  that 's  good  I  've  ever  had  she 

gave  me. 
TOM 

Maybe  it  won't  be  so  good  as  you  two  think  it  will. 
KATE  (frightened) 

You  think  I  *m  going  to  fail. 
TOM 

All  I  *m  thinkin'  about  is  if  you  'd  stayed  here  we  'd 

have  been  happy. 
KATE 

Not  unless  —  unless  I  'd  —  I  'd  cared. 


70  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  n 

TOM 

She  wouldn't  let  you  care ! 

KATE 

You  just  won't  try  to  understand!  This  is  some 
thing  mother  's  planned  for  me  all  my  life.  I  can't 
help  doing  it. 

TOM 

Your  mother  gets  ideas ! 

KATE 

She  used  to  sit  by  my  bed,  in  the  dark,  and  talk 
about  it  when  I  was  a  little  girl.  Daytimes  she  'd 
take  me  walking  with  her  and  point  out  the  pretty 
places  in  the  woods,  and  the  colors  in  the  sky,  and 
show  me  how  different  they  were,  and  how  wonderful. 
How  could  I  help  getting  so  I  wanted  to  paint  them? 
How  can  I  help  wanting  to  go  where  some  one  can 
teach  me  to  be  what  she's  so  hungry  for  me  to  be? 

TOM 

I  guess  you  couldn't,  not  unless  it  was  like  you  said. 
Unless  you  cared  about  somebody  else  more  'n  you 
do  about  her. 

KATE 

And  I  don't !    If  I  did,  I  'd  hate  myself ! 

TOM 

It 's  all  right !     I  ain't  goin'  to  take  no  advantage, 
I  ain't  goin'  to  try  to  keep  you  —  but  I  could ! 
KATE 
No! 

TOM 

Oh,  yes,  I  could!     Your  f ather 'd  stop  your  goin', 
quick  enough,  if  I  was  to  tell  him  a  few  things. 
KATE 

I  don't  know  what  you  're  talking  about ! 


ACT  n]  THE  DETOUR  71 

TOM 

I  guess  he  'd  say  if  you  was  in  love  with  me  you 
couldn't  go,  and  if  you  weren't  in  love  with  me  — 
and  he  knew  about  your  lettin'  me  kiss  you  four 
or  five  times,  like  I  did  last  winter,  and  your  puttin' 
your  arms  around  my  neck  —  then  I  guess  he  'd  say 
he  wouldn't  trust  you  out  of  his  sight. 

KATE 

You  'd  tell  him  that  —  when  you  begged  me  so  — 

when  I  was  so  lonesome! 
TOM 

I  don't   say   I  '11  tell  him,  but   it 's   a   satisfaction 

knowin'  I  could  stop  this  thing  if  I  wasn't  so  sort 

of  sentimental. 
KATE  (angrily) 

I  'd  go  now,  no  matter  what  you  told  him !    If  he  said 

I  couldn't  go,  I  'd  run  away ! 
TOM  ( thoughtfully ) 

You  Ve  got  spirit  in  you  once  in  a  while  like  your 

mother's.     I  wonder  if  maybe  you  don't  favor  her 

more  'n  I  figured  you  did ! 

[Ben  Glenny  is  seen  to  enter  at  left  on  the  road. 

He  looks   off   right,   back  of  house,   as  if  he  saw 

Stephen  there,  and  calls. 
BEN 

Hello,  Steve! 

[Stephen  answers  from  right,  back  of  house. 

STEVE 

I  been  waitin'  for  you! 
KATE 

They  '11  be  here  in  a  minute.  Come  in  with  me,  Tom ; 
I  want  to  talk  to  you. 


72  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  n 

TOM 

You  needn't  worry,  I  ain't  going  to  tell  on  you ! 

KATE 

It  is  n't  that,  but  I  won't  see  you  again,  and  I  don't 
want  to  have  to  remember  you  like  this ! 

TOM 

No,  you  '11  give  me  one  kiss,  I  suppose,  and  you  '11 
think  it 's  damned  funny  if  I  don't  think  anything 
you  want  to  do  is  right. 

KATE 

I  'm  going  in,  you  can  suit  yourself ! 
[She  eocits,  to  kitchen;  after  a  second's  sulky  hesi 
tation  he  follows.     Steve  has  joined  Ben  Glenny  at 
gate  and  they  cross  downstage  together. 

STEVE 

Well? 

BEN 

I  saw  both  of  them. 

STEVE 

Sit  down. 
[They  sit. 

BEN 

It 's  hot  walkin'. 

[He  wipes   the  perspiration  from  his  face  with  a 
cotton  handkerchief. 
STEVE 

Saw  both  of  'em? 

BEN 

Yes. 

STEVE 

Already  ?  That  looks  bad ;  funny  how  much  quicker 
a  man  says  no  than  he  '11  say  yes ! 


ACT  n]  THE  DETOUR  73 

BEN 

Both  of  'em  says  your  farm  won't  stand  any  more 
borrowin'  on.     Billings  said  you  had  so  many  mort 
gages  on  it  now  he  didn't  see  where  you  found  any 
room  to  raise  crops.    He  was  sort  of  jokin'. 
STEVE 

He's  a  fool! 

BEN 

Allers  was. 
STEVE 

But  he  's  got  the  money  and  I  haven't ! 
BEN 

And  he  keeps  what  he  's  got,  and  you  don't. 

STEVE 

I  ain't  throwed  away  a  dollar  in  twenty  years,  not 

so  much  as  fifteen  cents  for  a  movin'  picture! 
BEN 

You  're  land  hungry ! 
STEVE 

I've  got  to  get  more  land!     I'm  bound  to  do  it! 

I  've  got  to  get  fifteen  hundred  dollars. 
BEN 

I  wish  you  'd  get  the  three  hundred  and  seven  you 

owe  for  taxes.     I  'm  way  back  in  my  collectin'. 
STEVE 

I  got  it  in  the  bank.     But  I  was  figurin'  to  use  it  to 

buy  Tom  Lane's  twenty  acres,  if  I  could  raise  the 

balance. 
BEN 

And  you  need  a  thousand? 

STEVE 

Yes.     It 's  a  chance  I  won't  get  again.     If  Tom  's 
sold  up  for  what  he  owes,  the  land  's  gone  for  good, 


74  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  n 

.   an'  if  he  pulls  through  an*  makes  money  with  his 
garage,  he  wouldn't  want  to  sell. 

BEN 

They  was  some  talk  about  Tom  Lane  an*  your  girl 
Kate's  runnin'  around  together.  That  'd  be  one  way 
of  gettin'  that  land  in  your  family. 

STEVE 

I  stopped  dependin'  on  a  woman  the  day  I  was 
weaned. 

BEN 

Well,  I  can't  do  nothin'  fer  yer.     (He  rises)    I  tried. 

STEVE 

You  ain't  got  money  enough  to  lend  it  to  me  your 
self? 

BEN 

No,  I  ain't!  Bein'  a  tax  collector,  an'  process 
server  an'  county  clerk  has  sort  of  made  me  lose  con 
fidence  in  home  folks.  I  don't  pretend  to  know 
more  *n  anybody  else,  but  I  'm  savin'  up  all  my  money 
an'  buyin'  oil  stocks.  (He  starts  left)  Sorry  I 
couldn't  do  nothin'  for  you,  Steve. 

STEVE 

I  didn't  have  much  faith  in  your  gettin'  it,  but  't  was 
my  only  chance. 

BEN 

Well  if  you  'd  got  it  I  s'pose  'twould  have  been  all 
the  harder  for  me  to  get  your  taxes  out  of  yer. 
STEVE 

Maybe  — but  I  'd  of  had  the  land. 

BEN 

Well  —  good  day.     It 's  some  hot. 

STEVE 

An'  we  need  rain  —  good  day,  Ben. 


ACT  n]  THE  DETOUR  75 

[Ben  exits  out  gate  and  along  the  road  at  left.  Steve 
sits  in  deep  thought.  Helen  comes  to  window  and 
looks  out,  then  crosses  to  door  and  standing  back 
of  the  screen  door,  she  speaks. 

HELEN 

I  heard  Ben  Glenn y's  voice. 

STEVE 

Yes. 

HELEN 

You  didn't  get  the  money  you  wanted  out  of  him  ? 
STEVE 

No. 

HELEN 

I  am  sorry  if  you  're  disappointed. 
STEVE 

Come  out  a  minute,  I  want  to  talk  to  yer. 

[Helen  opens  the  screen  door  and  steps  out  on  porch. 
HELEN 

Kate  an'  Tom  Lane  are  in  the  parlor.     She  ought 

to  be  packin'  her  trunk ;  you  '11  have  to  take  it  to 

the  station. 
STEVE 

You  get  three  hundred  dollars  for  that  old  truck 

of  your  mother's? 
HELEN 

Yes. 

STEVE 

And  I  've  got  five  hundred  in  the  bank.  I  'm  going 
to  ask  Tom  if  he  '11  take  eight  hundred  and  my  note 
for  the  balance. 

HELEN 

You  're  goin'  to  give  Tom  Lane  my  three  hundred 
dollars  ? 


76  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  n 

STEVE 

If  he  '11  take  it. 

HELEN 

No. 

STEVE 

He  's  got  to  take  it !     He  would,  I  know,  if  we  was 

to  get  Kate  to  ask  him. 
HELEN 

You  don't  mean  that! 
STEVE 

Yes. 

HELEN 

You  'd  do  a  thing  like  that  just  for  more  land? 

STEVE 

For  that  land ! 

HELEN 

I  've  been  a  slave  to  land  ever  since  I  married  you ; 
I  'm  tired  of  it ! 

STEVE 

You  ain't  been  any  more  of  a  slave  than  I  've  been ! 
You  're  a  good  worker,  but  you  ain't  worked  like 
I  do !  There  ain't  a  foot  of  this  land  here  I  ain't 
watered  with  my  sweat ! 

HELEN 

And  you  want  more,  and  it 's  all  you  do  want !  More 
work  for  you  and  for  me,  more  taxes  and  mort 
gages  hangin'  over  us. 

STEVE 

I  want  a  farm!  I  'm  bound  to  get  it !  I  'm  no 
damned  Japanese !  I  tell  you  this  is  my  chance ! 

HELEN 

It's  Kate's  chance  too,   Steve.     You're  forgettin' 


ACT  n]  THE  DETOUR  77 

that!  You  wouldn't  take  her  chance  away  from 
her? 

STEVE 

Yes  —  I  would.    I  'm  goin'  to ! 

HELEN 

I  won't  let  you  —  that 's  all  —  I  just  won't !  (He 
rises  without  a  word  and  crosses  into  the  house. 
She  looks  distressed  and  anxious.  In  a  moment  he 
returns,  in  his  hand  the  jug  in  which  is  the  money 
and  the  dusty  bunch  of  artificial  flowers.  As  she 
sees  this  in  his  hand,  she  steps  back  almost  in  terror) 
Stephen ! 

STEVE 

There  's  money  here.  I  always  knew  you  kept  some- 
thin'  in  here,  but  it  was  no-  business  of  mine !  That 
three  hundred  dollars  is  here? 

HELEN  (nervously) 
Yes. 

STEVE 

There  's  more,  too ;  it  *s  heavy ! 

[He  shakes  the  jar  and  the  sound  of  the  silver  is 
heard. 
HELEN 

All  that  *s  there  is  mine  and  Kate's. 

STEVE 

How   much? 

HELEN 

You  said  just  now  that  what  I  kept  in  there  wasn't 
any  business  of  yours,  and  it  ain't! 
STEVE 

How  much? 

HELEN 

If  I  've  got  any  rights  at  all !     If  you  Ve  got  any 


78  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  n 

bit  of  feelin'  left  for  me,  or  for  what  I  ask  of  you, 
I  want  you  to  put  that  down! 

[By  way  of  answer,  Tie  throws  the  artificial  flowers 
contemptuously  aside,  and  turning  the  jug  up  he 
pours  the  contents  out  on  the  table. 
STEVE  (as  he  sees)     By  God! 

HELEN 

It  's  just  like  you  struck  me  in  the  face. 
[She  drops  into  chair,  hiding  her  eyes  with  her  finr- 
gers.    He  counts  the  money  eagerly  and  with  grow 
ing  joy  and  excitement. 
STEVE 

Over  a  thousand  dollars ! 

HELEN 

More  'n  ten  years  I  done  without  —  I  made  her  do 
without !  Many  a  time  I  took  her  teachin'  money 
when  she  wanted  a  pretty  dress,  an'  I  cried  myself 
to  sleep  that  night  —  but  I  took  it ! 

STEVE 

With  my  five  hundred  it  '11  be  enough !     Tom  's  in 
the  parlor,  you  say?    (He  crosses  to  door  of  kitchen 
and  calls  )     Tom !    Tom !    I  want  you  \ 
[As  he  turns  back,  Helen  springs  between  him  and 
the  table. 

HELEN 

Don't   shame  me  before  them,   Steve,  don't. 

STEVE  (sternly) 

I  want  you  not  to  make  a  fuss  now,  Helen. 

HELEN 

I  tried  to  be  a  good  wife  to  you  all  these  hard,  hard 
years.  Once  before  I  had  money  —  I  'd  saved  it, 
just  like  I  saved  this—  - 't  was  like  a  key  —  a  key 
to  the  door  that  was  shuttin'  me  out  from  life  — 


ACT  n]  THE  DETOUR  79 

and  I  gave  it  up,  for  you  —  because  you  made  me 
love  you  —  when  I  didn't  want  to.  Now,  when  I 
ain't  got  anything  but  that,  too  —  don't  make  me 
hate  you! 

[Tom  and  Kate  enter  from  the  kitchen.    Kate  looks 
at  her  father  and  mother  with  dismay. 
KATE 

What  is  it? 

STEVE 

I  '11  take  that  offer  of  yours,  Tom.     We  '11  get  Ben. 

Glenny  to  draw  up  a  bill  of  sale.     Fifteen  hundred 

cash  and  a  mortgage  for  the  balance ! 
HELEN  (to  Kate) 

It 's  your  money !    He  's  takin'  it. 
KATE 

Father! 

HELEN 

You  '11  waste  your  time  beggin'  him !     He 's  a  hard 

man! 
TOM  (to  Steve) 

You  're  goin'  to  buy  my  land? 
STEVE 

Yes. 
HELEN  (turns  desperately  to  Tom) 

Tom!     You  won't  take  it;  tell  him  you  won't  take 

it,  knowin'  what  it  means  to  me  an'  Kate ! 
KATE 

Of  course  he  won't  take  it,  mother! 

STEVE 

Why  won't  he?    He  needs  it,  don't  he?    Course  he  '11 
take  it,  won't  you,  Tom? 
KATE  (proudly) 
He  won't! 


80  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  n 

TOM 

I  want  the  money  and  he  wants  the  land.     I  don't 

see  no  reason  why  I  shouldn't  take  it. 
KATE  (scornfully) 

After  the  way  you  were  just  talking  to  me  in  there? 

[She  points  to  house. 
TOM 

Buyin'  land,  or  sellin'  it  is  a  matter  of  business. 
HELEN  (to  Kate) 

We  might  have  known  he  would ! 
STEVE 

I  '11  telephone  fer  Ben  Glenny ! 

[He  steps  towards  table,  putting  out  his  hand  for 

the  money. 
HELEN  (steps  in  front  of  him) 

You  're  a  thief,  Steve  Hardy ! 
STEVE 

Helen! 

[He  draws  back,  horrified. 

i     HELEN 

Just  a  thief!     A  common  thief!     Ain't  you  robbed 

me   always  —  of  my   youth  —  of  my   life  —  of  my 

looks  —  I  ain't  forty  —  and  look  at  me  —  look  what 

you  *ve  done  to  me !    You  thief  —  and  now  it 's  her ! 
1    STEVE 

Nobody  ever  called  me  a  name  like  that !     Nobody 

ever  dared! 
HELEN 

Why  should  I  be  afraid?    What  more  could  you  do 

to  me! 
STEVE 

You  can't  call  me  a  thief !    This  is  my  house ;  what 's 

in  it  is  mine,  all  of  it ! 


ACT  n]  THE  DETOUR  81 

HELEN 

My  mother's  furniture  wasn't  yours ! 
STEVE 

It 's  been  part  of  the  furnishin'  of  my  house  for 
twenty  years.  Of  course  it's  mine!  So 's  the  rest 
of  this  money! 

HELEN 

The  savings  out  of  her  salary,  te-achin'  school  and 

tendin*  store! 
STEVE 

She  's  my  daughter,  and  she  ain't  of  age ! 
HELEN 

And  ten  years  of  savin'  dime  by  dime  out  of  my  egg 

and  chicken  money ! 
STEVE 

That 's  the  thanks  I  get  fer  lettin'  you  call  'em  yours 

—  the  hens  was  mine ! 

HELEN 

Everything  is  yours! 
STEVE 

Of  course  it  is! 

HELEN 

And  I  get  my  keep!  I  haven't  had  a  dress  in  two 
years,  and  then  one  I  made  myself.  I  get  my  food, 
but  I  have  to  cook  it  first.  Where  else  would  you 
get  a  cook  who  'd  work  like  I  work  and  only  get 
her  keep !  They  ain't  but  one  way  to  get  a  girl  as 
cheap  as  that,  and  that 's  to  marry  her ! 

KATE 

Like  Tom  Lane  wanted  to  marry  me! 

HELEN 

The  summer  folks  here  pay  a  cook  seventy-five  dol 
lars  a  month  who  'd  be  too  proud  to  do  the  work  I 


82  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  n 

do !     That  Mrs.  Lament  paid  an  agent  ten  dollars 

just  for  gettm*  her  a  cook!    That  shows  how  smart 

you  are,  Steve  Hardy ;  alls  you  paid  was  one  dollar 

for  a  weddin'  license! 
STEVE  (putting  money  back  into  jar) 

You  're  callin'  pretty  hard  names,  wife,  and  I  ain't 

a  patient  man! 
HELEN 

I  've  been  a  patient  woman,  but  I  can't  be  any  more ! 

Kate!     (She  throws  her  arms  about  her)     I  don't 

seem  like  I  could  stand  it ! 
KATE  (clinging  to  her) 

Don't,  mother !    Don't !    You  break  my  heart  ! 
STEVE 

What 's  all  the  fuss  about !     Why  not  let  her  stay 

here,  same  as  all  the  other  girls,  an'  marry  a  decent 

man  like  Tom? 

HELEN 

Another  wife  —  to  another  man  like  you ! 

STEVE 

Better  maybe  than  sendin'  a  young  girl  like  she  is 
out  alone  to  mix  with  strangers  in  a  place  like  New 
York  City. 

HELEN 

Why  is  it  ?    Why  ?     How  could  it  be  ? 

STEVE 

How  do  you  know  what  would  become  of  her? 

HELEN 

How  could  I  know?    I  only  know  what  would  become 
of  her  here! 
STEVE 

You  never  thought  about  the  other  thing,  did  you! 


ACT  n]  THE  DETOUR  83 

About  who  she  might  meet,  alone  there  —  about 
what  she  might  get  to  be. 

HELEN 

She  might  get  to  be  a  great  artist,  like  I  Ve  prayed 

she  would. 
STEVE 

And  she  might  get  to  be  a  woman  of  the  streets ! 
HELEN 

And  if  she  did  would  she  sell  herself  as  cheap  as  I 

did!     Would  she  fall  any  lower  than  I  am?     She'd 

have  had  her  chance ;  win  or  lose,  she  'd  have  had 

it,  she  'd  have  had  some  hours,  anyway,  somethin" 

to  remember! 
STEVE  (shocked) 

You  mean  then  that  like  that  she  'd  be  better  off  than 

you  Ve  been  here  with  me ! 
HELEN 

Yes! 

STEVE 

All  right !  My  house  is  no  place  for  you,  not  if  you 
feel  like  that.  (He  holds  the  jug  out  to  her)  You 
claim  this  money. 

HELEN 

I  do !    I  '11  keep  on  claimin*  it ! 
STEVE 

Take  it,  then,  but  remember  this  —  if  you  do  take  it, 
and  if  she  goes  against  my  will  —  you  go  with 
her! 

KATE 

Father! 
STEVE  (to  Helen) 

You  go,  and  you  don't  come  back. 


84  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  n 

HELEN 

Wait  —  we  got  to  understand  each  other !     You  're 
turnin'  me  out! 
STEVE 

You  always  claimed  to  be  smarter  than  I  was.  I 
guess  you  got  my  meanin' ! 

HELEN 

Oh,  yes,  I  got  that  long  ago  —  that  everything  must 
be  for  you,  an'  nothin'  for  me  1  The  only  thing  you 
ever  gave  me  was  your  name,  I  bought  that  from 
you  when  I  was  young.  I  paid  you  for  it  with  all 
I  had  —  now  I  ain't  young,  any  more,  an'  you  're 
sick  of  your  bargain  —  you  want  to  call  it  off.  I 
wish  to  God  you  could  —  I  'd  give  you  back  your 
name  if  you  'd  give  me  back  what  I  paid  for  it ! 

STEVE 

Just  words !  That  *s  all !  You  heard  mine !  If  she 
goes  —  you  go  t 

KATE 

You  don't  mean  it,  father!     You  can't! 

STEVE  (to  Helen) 

I  'm  going  to  let  you  choose ! 

HELEN 

All  right !     There 's  a  train  at  seven ! 

[She  puts  "her  arm  about  Kate  and  they  turn  and 

exit  to  the  kitchen. 


CURTAIN 


ACT  HI 

Scene:   Hardy 's  kitchen  (same  as  Act  I)  about  an\ 
hour  later. 

Stephen,  his  pipe  in  his  mouth,  sits  moodily  by  stove. 
Tom  Lane,  also  with  a  pipe,  stands  in  open  doorway 
to  the  hall,  shamelessly  listening. 
TOM 

Wait  a  minute!     (He  bends  eagerly  out  into  hatt, 

Stephen  rises  from  his  chair  and  stands  lookmg  at 

door.     In  a  moment  Tom  turns  back  into  room) 

No,  they  're  movin'  around  all  right,  but  they  ain't 

comin'  down. 
STEPHEN 

Oh! 

[He  drops  back  mto  chair. 
TOM  (contemptuously) 

And  you  're  going  to  let  'em  go ! 

STEPHEN 

I  ain't  goin*  to  stop  'em. 
TOM 

You  could  —  if  you  was  to  show  a  little  spirit ! 

STEPHEN 

It 's  for  them  to  say ;  only  if  they  go  they  can't 
come  back  —  not  ever ! 
TOM 

As  far  as  that  goes,  maybe  they  'd  never  want  to. 
(He  hears  a  sound)  Wait !  They  're  movin'  again ! 
(He  puts  his  head  out  into  hall.  Steve  looks  at  him 


86  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  m 

but  does  not  again  get  up.    In  a  moment  Tom  turns 
back)    What  do  you  s'pose  I  heard  'em  doin'  ? 

STEVE 

Cryin'? 

TOM 

SinginM 

STEVE 

No! 

TOM 

Yes !     And  not  hymns  —  tunes!     I  guess  you  can 

take  a  rest  from  feelin'  like  you  was  Simon  Legree 

beatin'  Uncle  Tom  to  death  1    Looks  to  me  like  they 

was  glad  they  was  goin' ! 
STEVE  (sternly) 

Then  it 's  best  they  went  \ 
TOM 

It  9s  a  serious  thing  when  a  man's  wife  leaves  him ! 
STEVE 

Yes. 

TOM 

It's  awful  when  she  takes  a  thousand  dollars  with 
her! 

STEVE 

Yes. 

[He  smokes  in  silence.     Tom  sits  moodily  m  chair. 
TOM 

If  they  was  mine  they  wouldn't  go ! 
STEVE  (coldly) 

Well  — they  ain't. 
TOM  (a  little  resentful) 

I  got  to  give  you  credit  for  one  thing;  everything 

you  say  is  always  true,  even  if  it  ain't  very  in- 

terestin'. 


ACT  in]  THE  DETOUR  87 

STEVE  (tliought-fully) 

It  takes  a  lot  of  patience  to  get  along  with  any 

woman. 
TOM 

Seems  so. 

STEVE 

She  had  her  faults. 
TOM 

I  know  it. 
STEVE 

In  most  ways  she  's  been  a  good  wife  to  me. 
TOM 

She  'd  ought  to  be. 

STEVE 

I  ain't  defendin'  her. 
TOM 

She  was  the  kind  I  couldn't  'a  got  along  with. 
STEVE 

Why  couldn't  you?  You  wanted  to  marry  Kate! 
TOM 

She  ain't  like  her  mother,  she's  the  "spit  and  im 
age"  of  you. 
STEVE 

Kate? 
TOM  (losing  confidence)     Leastways  I  always  thought 

so. 

STEVE 

If  you  don't  know  no   more  about   an  automobile 
than  you  do  about  a  woman,  I  guess  it 's  just  as 
well  they  closed  the  road. 
[He  turns  disgusted. 
TOM 

Hark!     (He  rises  suddenly)     Some  one's  on  the 

7 


88  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  m 

stairs !     (He  crosses  and  looks  out  to  hall,  then  turns 

in  great  excitement )     Yes !     Now  we  '11  know ! 
STEVE 

What  will  we  know? 
TOM 

If  they're  really  goin'!     I  bet  they  ain't. 

STEVE 

Humph ! 

{Tom  sits;  in  a  moment  Kate  and  Helen  enter.  Be 
tween  them  they  carry  a  trunk,  and  Helen  has  an 
old  cardboard  box  under  one  arm.  They  pay  not 
the  slightest  attention  to  the  men  but  put  the  trunk 
down  left  of  center  two  or  three,  feet  away  from  where 
Steve  is  sittmg. 

HELEN 

Now  we  '11  get  the  trays. 

KATE  (without  glancing  at  Tom  or  Steve,  who  sit 
stolidly  smoking  their  pipes)  It 's  too  bad  they  're 
no  men  in  the  house  to  help  us. 

HELEN  (sniffs  scornfully) 

You  don't  smell  anything  peculiar,  do  you? 

KATE   (doubtfully) 
I  don't  know! 

HELEN 

I  s'pose  it  was  that  awful  imagination  of  mine;  of 
course  nobody  would  smoke  in  my  kitchen ! 
[Helen  and  Kate  exit  to  hall. 
TOM 

They  are  goin' ! 

STEVE 

After  this  I  ain't  never  comin'  in  here  without  I 
smoke ! 


•'••• 

ACT  m]  THE  DETOUR  89 

TOM 

Yes,  sir .'    They  ?re  goin* ! 
STEVE 

What  time  is  it? 
TOM 

You  asked  me  that  twice  already!     What  do  you 

care ;  you  never  do  nothin' ! 
STEVE   (wistfully) 

We  used  to  eat  at  six. 
TOM 

Well,  it  9s   about  'that  now.     Who  *s  going  to  get 

your  meals  for  you? 
STEVE 

It  don't  take  no  brains  to  cook !    I  can  run  a  house 

as  good  as  a  woman.     I  ain't  going  to  have  no  hired 

girl ;  I  '11  do  for  myself ! 
TOM 

Anybody  can ;  it  *s  nothin'  to  make  a  fuss  about. 
STEVE   (anxiously) 

I  don't  s'pose  she  '11  take  her  cook  book? 
TOM 

What  if  she  does?    All  you  need  is  a  little  common 

sense  and  a  good  appetite. 

STEVE 

You  said  *t  was  six,  didn't  yer? 
TOM 

There  's  a  clock  right  in  front  of  yer ! 

[They  sit  back  puffing  at  pipes.     Helen  and  Kate 

enter;  m  their  hands  they  carry  the  two  trays  of  the 

trunk. 

HELEN 

Wait,  I  '11  open  it. 

[She  puts  the  tray  on  the  -floor  and  opens  trunk. 


90  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  m 

Kate  puts  her  tray  m.  Helen  sniffs  at  the  tobacco 
smoke  and  crosses  and  opens  the  window  directly 
back  of  Tom's  chair,  then  goes  and  opens  door;  a 
strong  wind  outside  blows  the  window  curtains  and 
the  draft  annoys  both  Tom  and  Steve. 

KATE  (takes  a  deep  breath) 
Ahf    That's  better! 

HELEN  {pleasantly) 
It  '11  air  the  room. 

KATE  (with  a  cold  look  at  Tom) 

I  noticed  something1  disagreeable  in  here. 
[This,  and  the  cold  air  blowing  on  their  backs,  is 
too  much  for  Tom  and  Steve,  who  rise  sheepishly  and 
exit  to  the  porch  and  out  of  sight.     Helen  looks 
after  them  and  laughs. 

HELEN 

I  do  declare  it 's  funny.     I  guess  I  'm  feelin'  sort  of 

flighty  or  I  wouldn't  act  so  silly.     I  ought  to  be 

ashamed,  makin'  'em  uncomfortable  on  purpose! 
KATE 

I  guess  they  deserve  to  be  more  uncomfortable  than 

anything  we  say  could  make  them. 
HELEN 

We'd  better  hurry;  we've  got  lots  to  do. 
KATE 

I  left  that  other  new  dress  of  mine  on  a  chair  in 

your  room ;  you  'd  better  try  it  on. 

HELEN 

I  wouldn't  dare  to  wear  it !    It  ?s  cut  so  young ! 

KATE 

You  can't  go  to  New  York  in  that  old  thing !  After 
this,  I  'm  going  to  see  that  you  have  everything  I 
have,  and  I  'm  going  to  have  all  I  can  get. 


ACT  m]  THE  DETOUR  91 

HELEN 

We  '11  have  to  be  awful  careful !     I  don't  know  as 
a  thousand  will  be  enough! 
KATE 

Your  going  makes  all  the  difference.    I  am  not  afraid 
any  more. 

HELEN" 

Why  should  we  be? 

KATE 

I  *11  be  making  plenty  of  money  long  before  we 
need  it. 
HELEN 

I  ?m  as  sure  of  it  as  I  am  of  livin' ! 

KATE 

Mother !    Just  think !    We  're  really  going ! 
HELEN 

I  don't  dare  think.    I  just  keep  on  doin'  things! 
KATE 

Who  's  afraid  now? 

HELEN 

It  don't  seem  real  at  all!    I  guess  thinkin'  about  it 
so  many  years  kinder  makes  it  all  seem  like  a  story 
in  a  book  —  like  it  was  about  somebody  else. 
KATE 

Well,  it  is  n't. 

HELEN 

I  know  it,  because  every  once  in  a  while  I  get  a  kind 
of  a  sinking  here.    (She  puts  her  hcmd  for  a  moment 
on  her  stonfach)     Like  a  person  does  when  they  go 
down  fas.t  in  an  elevator! 
KATE 

You  don't  think  I  am  going  to  fail? 


92  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  in 

HELEN 

I  know  you  've  got  the  talent ;  that 's  all  that  mat 
ters.  God  gave  it  to  you ;  He  '11  help  us. 

KATE 

And  you  're  not  worrying  about  —  about  father? 
HELEN 

Why  should  I?     He  ain't  worryin*  much  about  me. 
KATE 

No,  neither 's   Tom   Lane   worrying !      They   don't 

know  how! 

HELEN 

Some  day,  when  I  get  settled  down  to  think  again, 
it 's  goin'  to  hurt  —  your  father's  turnin'  me  out 
like  he  did,  forgettin*  in  a  minute  all  I  'd  been  to 
him  for  half  a  lifetime  —  but  right  now  about  all 
I  've  got  room  for  in  my  head  is  we  're  goin' ! 
KATE 

And  you  're  going  to  wear  that  new  red  dress ! 

HELEN 

I  don't  know  but  I  'd  about  as  well  be  hung  for  a 
sheep  as  a  lamb!  (She  takes  a  bulky  roll  of  bills 
from  her  apron  pocket)  Here,  dear,  the  silver  's  in 
a  bag  in  the  top  tray  of  the  trunk ;  here  's  the  rest 
of  it. 

KATE 

Why  should  I  take  it? 

HELEN 

It 's   your  money.     I  'm  just  going  with  you. 
KATE 

But 

HELEN 

That 's  the  way  I  want  it ! 


ACT  m]  THE  DETOUR  93 

KATE  (takes  money) 

I  don't  see  what  difference  it  makes ;  what  rs  mine 
is  yours. 

HELEN 

Two  people  so  much  alike  as  we  are,  just  living  to 
gether,  can't  help  being  happy. 

[She  puts  the  cardboard  box  she  has  been  holding  on> 
her  arm  on  table  and  opens  it.     Kate  looks  up  from 
packing   the   top   tray   of  her  trunk   and  sees   her 
mother  sortmg  over  the  contents  of  the  box. 
KATE 


HELEN 

Just  rubbish,  things  I  've  had  ever  since  I  was  a  girl. 
I  s'pose  I  'd  better  burn  it.  (She  is  looking  through 
old  letters,  a  few  dance  cards,  a  photograph  or  two) 
Goodness !  What  truck  folks  keep !  (She  comes 
across  a  faded  old  photograph  and  after  glancing  at 
it,  stands  looking  at  it  intently) 

KATE 

Let 's  see  what  you  're  looking  at.  (She  crosses  and 
looks  at  the  photograph  at  first  with  simple  curi 
osity,  then  with  amazed  recognition)  Oh,  mother! 
[She  laughs. 

HELEN  (indignant) 

I  don't  see  anything  to  laugh  at! 

KATE 

But  to  think  of  father  —  young ! 

HELEN 

Well,  he  was! 

KATE 

Of  course,  he  must  have  been!  I  should  think  he 
would  have  hated  it ! 


94  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  ra 

HELEN 

He  was  young  as  anybody  once ! 
KATE   (looking  at  photo) 

He  was  about  Tom's  age,  wasn't  he? 
HELEN 

He  was  better  lookin*. 
KATE  (doubtfully) 

Do  you  think  so? 

HELEN 

I  know  it!     (She  puts  the  photograph  aside)     I 
won't  burn  it!     I  ought  to,  but  I  won't! 
[She  starts  to  sort  over  the  other  things. 

KATE 

It 's  no  use !     I  can't  think  of  him  as  young !     Did 
he —  (She  giggles)  — Did  he  used  to  make  love  to 
you? 
HELEN 

It  might  be  a  good  thing  if  you  minded  your  own 
business. 

KATE 

Wrote  you  love  letters  and  everything? 

HELEN 

Of  course  he  did! 

KATE 

I'll  bet  they're  all  there! 

HELEN 

He  didn't  write  many. 
KATE 

I  '11  bet  he  didn't. 

HELEN 

They  're  here  somewhere  —  ah ! 

[As  she  -finds  a  pitifully  thin  package  "bound  up  with 

a  -faded  ribbon. 


ACT  m]  THE  DETOUR  95 

KATE 

Is  that  all? 
HELEN  (defencelessly) 

He  wasn't  any  much ! 
KATE  (puts  out  her  hand) 

I  want  to  read  them ! 
HELEN  (draws  away) 

Well,  you  can't!     (She  opens  one  of  the  letters  and 

looks  at  it)     "  January  tenth,  nineteen  hundred.'* 

That 's  a  long  time  ago ! 
KATE 

You  can't  make  me  believe  it 's  a  love  letter ! 

HELEN" 

Well,  it  is!  "  My  dear  Helen!"  (She  reads)  I 
can  remember  how  happy  I  was  the  day  I  got  this. 
Just  as  if  it  was  yesterday!  (She  reads)  "I  got 
to  New  York  all  right,  about  six  o'clock  and  went 
to  the  Bartholdi  Hotel  and  got  a  room.  It  was  most 
eight  before  I  got  through  supper,  so  I  went  right 
to  bed." 

KATE 

Go  on! 

HELEN 

That's  all ;  he  didn't  write  long  letters. 
KATE 

Let 's  see  how  he  ended  it ! 
HELEN   (reads) 

"  Yours  truly,  Stephen  Hardy." 
KATE  (laughs) 

He  would. 

HELEN 

That  was  just  before  we  was  married!  (She  opens 
another  one)  Oh,  yes!  (As  she  looks  at  it)  This 


96  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  m 

was  the  year  you  was  born  —  I  was  waitin'  for  you, 
an'  he  went  to  New  York  to  raise  the  first  mortgage 
we  ever  had  on  the  farm. 

KATE 

Regular  pleasure  trip  for  him! 

HELEN  (looking  at  letter) 

It 's  funny,  my  forgettin*  so  much !  I  was  happy 
sometimes !  Look  where  I  cried  right  on  that  let 
ter!  (She  points  to  stain  on  the  old  paper) 
"My  dear  Wife."  (She  reads)  "I  don't  like  it 
here,  and  I  wish  I  was  back  with  you!"  (She  sighs) 
"  The  food  here  don't  agree  with  me,  and  eating  costs 
so  much  you  've  either  got  to  starve,  or  eat  and  suf 
fer!  I  've  been  thinking  about  you  a  lot,  and  about 

the  hard  time  that 's  coming  to  you You  're  a 

brave  girl  and  a  good  wife  —  I  know  you  're  going 
to  be  a  good  mother !  —  if  the  calf  won't  eat,  you  '11 
have  to  give  him  a  little  warm  milk  morning  and 
night.  Remember  you  've  got  to  take  good  care  of 
yourself  until  the  baby  comes.  The  rubbage  from 
the  garden  will  do  for  the  pigs  'til  I  get  home.  Your 
loving  husband  —  Steve !  " 

[She  sits  in  the  chair  and  for  a  moment  hides  her 
face  in  her  hands. 

KATE 

Don't,  mother! 

[She  puts  her  hand  tenderly  on  Helen  s  shoulders. 

HELEN 

If  he  wanted  me,  I  'd  stay,  just  so  long  as  he  'd  let 
you  go  \ 

KATE 

He  didn't  want  you,  and  he  wouldn't  let  me  go,  not 
if  he  could  help  it! 


ACT  m]  THE  DETOUR  97 

HELEN 

I  wonder,  while  God  was  doin'  it,  he  didn't  fix  it  so  's 
we  M  be  always  young ! 

KATE 

Maybe  because  he  meant  for  us  to  take  all  the  hap 
piness  we  could  while  we  could  get  it,  and  if  we  let 
it  slip  away  from  us,  nobody  but  ourselves  would  be 
to  blame. 

HELEN 

Maybe  —  that 's  why  I  don't  know  as  I  deserve  an 
other  chance. 

[Tom  Lane  looks  slyly  m  at  the  window.  Kate  sees 
him  out  of  the  corner  of  her  eye  and  stoops  close 
to  her  mother's  ear  and  speaks  low. 

KATE 

They  're  looking  at  us  through  the  window ! 
[Helen  straightens  up  with  dignity  and  puts  the  let 
ters  back  into  the  box  and  crosses  and  drops  the  box 
into  the  top  tray  of  the  trunk;  then,  her  head  thrown 
proudly  back,  she  exits  to  the  hall,  followed  by  Kate. 
Tom  looks  m  window  again  and  speaks  over  his 
shoulder. 

TOM 

They  're  goin' !  (He  and  Steve  pass  the  window  and 
enter)  I  couldn't  hear  what  they  was  sayin* ! 

STEVE 

'T  was  none  of  your  business. 
TOM 

I  wouldn't  listen!  Anyhow,  they  talked  awful  low. 
[Steve  crosses  to  the  kitchen  clock  and  after  looking 
at  it  earnestly,  he  takes  it  down  from  the  shelf  and 
shakes  it. 


98  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  in 

STEVE 

Seems  later  than  't  is !     I  'm  goin'  to  get  supper. 

[He  crosses  to  cupboard. 
TOM 

I  suppose  you  've  got  to  get  used  to  doin'  it. 
STEVE 

Any  fool  can  do  it!     (He  looks  over  the  shelves  of 

the    cupboard)       There  's    plenty    here,    wasteful 

plenty ! 
TOM 

Whatter  you  goin'  to  get? 

STEVE 

W-w-e-1-1?     (He  takes  down  a  package  of  prepared 

buckwheat  flour)     I  don't  know  but  what  I  '11  make 

a  flapjack. 
TOM  (doubtfully) 

If  I  was  you  I  'd  boil  an  egg ! 
STEVE   (reading  directions) 

Simple  enough!    Anybody  can  make  a  flapjack. 

[He  gets  frying  pan  and  puts  it  on  the  stove. 
TOM 

I  guess  so,  I  never  tried. 
STEVE 

There  's  directions.     (He  reads  what  is  on  package) 

I  see !     (He  pours  some  flour  directly  into  the  frying 

pan)     I  '11  make  plenty  and  you  can  stay  an'  eat. 

[He  draws  a  dipper  of  water  and  pours  it  into  the 

flour  m  the  pan  and  stirs  it  with  a  spoon.     Tom 

looks  at  the  resulting  mess  doubtfully. 
TOM 

No  !     No !     I  guess  I  '11  eat  at  home ! 
STEVE  (angrily) 

What 's  the  matter  with  it? 


ACT  m]  THE  DETOUR  99 

TOM 

I  don't  know.    (He  bends  over  it  curiously)  It  looks 
indecent. 
STEVE 

It'll  be  all  right! 

TOM 

I  was  n't  hungry  even  before  I  looked  at  that!    (He 

crosses  toward  door)     I  '11  see  if  they  Ve  started 

workin*  on  the  road. 
STEVE 

I  '11  be  out  after  a  while. 
TOM 

Not  if  you  eat  them  flap j  acks  ! 

[He  exits.     Steve  bends  anxiously  over  his  cooking 

as  Kate  enters  with  some  clothes  on  her  arm  and 

stops  in  surprise. 
KATE 

Father! 

STEVE 

Well! 

[Kate  crosses  over  and  looks  into  the  frying  pan. 
KATE  (in  horror) 
What's  that? 

STEVE 

A  flapjack.     It  ain't  quite  boiled. 
KATE 

If  you  eat  anything  like  that  while  we  're  away, 

mother  will  have  to  hurry  right  home  and  nurse  you ! 
STEVE 

If  she  goes  she  can't  come  back ;  I  told  her  that. 
KATE 

But  you  didn't  really  mean  it? 


100  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  in 

STEVE 

Yes  —  she  knows  I  meant  it,  and  she  '11  go  for  good ; 
she  was  always  proud!  I  got  some  pride  myself 
and  I  ain't  likely  to  forget  what  she  said  —  about 
bein'  unhappy  here  always.  I  ain't  likely  to  forget. 

KATE 

She  M  have  been  happy  if  you  'd  been  a  little  kinder 
to  her.  If  you  'd  showed  her  a  little  plainer  that 
you  loved  her. 

STEVE 

It  was  her  business  to  know  it. 

KATE 

I  don't  see  how  she  could. 

STEVE 

A  man  can't  be  talkin'  about  love  all  the  time !  It  *s 
just  like  religion  —  every  day  ain't  Sunday!  (He 
looks  at  the  mess  in  the  frying  pan  desperately) 
How  long  has  this  damned  thing  to  boil ! 

KATE 

Father!  Ha!  ha!  ha!  I  never  saw  anything  so 
funny  in  all  my  life !  Ha  !  ha !  ha ! 
[She  runs  out,  laughing  wildly.  Steve  considers  his 
mess  gravely  then  picks  up  the  package  and  adds 
more  flour,  finally  emptying  the  whole  package  into 
it.  As  he  bends  over  the  stove,  Helen  enters.  She 
has  on  a  smart  dark  red  dress  and  has  arranged  her 
hair  to  give  a  new  look  almost  of  girlishness.  She 
sees  him  at  the  stove  and  crosses  firmly  and  pushes 
him  away  and  looks  at  the  mess. 

STEVE  (defensively) 

It  would  have  been  all  right  in  another  minute. 

HELEN 

I  fed  the  pigs  once  to-day ! 


ACT  m]  THE  DETOUR  :;;  ;>,10J-. 

STEVE 

I  was  going  to  eat  it. 

HELEN 

Go  away !    (She  picks  up  the  frying  pan  and  throws 
the  contents  in  a  garbage  pail)     I  '11  fix  you  some 
thing! 
STEVE  (stiffly) 

I  won't  trouble  you. 

HELEN 

Some  eggs ;  that  *s  quick.     (She  starts  to  prepare 
some  scrambled  eggs.     He  looks  at  her  furiously) 
What  is  it?    What  are  you  lookin'  at  me  for? 
STEVE 

You  look  —  different  —  sort  of ! 

HELEN 

Oh,  this  dress ;  it 's  Kate's.    She  made  me  put  it  on. 

STEVE 

It 's  —  sort  of  —  er  —  red ! 

HELEN 

Yes.    I  think  it 's  nice. 
STEVE 

I  don't  know  as  I  like  it  so  well  as  the  red  one  you 
had. 

HELEN 

I  haven't  had  a  red  one  for  twenty  years. 

STEVE 

That 's  the  one  I  meant. 
[He  crosses  and  sits  at  table. 
HELEN  (at  Steve) 

You  '11  die  if  you  was  to  try  to  look  after  yourself ! 
I  guess  you  can  get  a  girl  to  come  in  for  about  seven 
dollars  a  week. 


102  tf  HE  DETOUTl  [ACT  m 

STEVE  (in  horror) 

Seven  dollars  a  week! 

HELEU 

About. 

[She  cuts  him  some  bread. 

STEVE 

A  man  would  have  a  right  to  divorce  a  woman  that 's 
actin'  like  you  're  doin' ! 

HELEN 

Then  you  could  marry  a  girl  and  save  money !  That 
Mrs.  Lamont  will  be  around  for  her  eggs.  I  put 
*em  in  this  basket.  (She  shows  basket  on  table) 
Eighty-five  cents  is  a  fair  price.  (She  crosses  and 
puts  food  on  his  table)  There!  Eat! 

STEVE  (looks  up  at  her) 

Was  it  twenty  years  since  you  had  that  red  dress? 

HELEN 

I  made  it  before  we  was  married.  How  'd  you  come 
to  remember  it? 

STEVE 

I  don't  know  —  seems  like  you  'd  always  had  it. 

HELEN 

Before  it  wore  out  that 's  how  it  seemed  to  me. 

STEVE 

Somehow  I  sort  of  see  you  in  it  —  I  mean  when  you 
ain't  really  around  —  and  I  'm  sort  of  seem'  you,  in 
my  mind  like.  You  were  a  good-lookin'  girl,  a 
mighty  good-lookin'  girl.  (He  looks  up  at  her;  she 
is  quite  softened)  You  ain't  changed  much.  (She 
half  turns  away,  confused  by  his  compliment)  I 
mean  you  ain't  changed  so  much  as  I  thought  you 
had!  ' 


ACT  m]  THE  DETOUR  103 

HELEN   (angrily) 
Eat  your  supper! 

STEVE 

Yes.  (He  draws  his  place  to  him  and  starts  to  but 
ter  his  bread)  It 's  past  my  time ;  I  hate  my  vittals 
late !  Twenty  years  —  I  remember  the  first  time  ever 
I  saw  that  red  dress. 

HELEN 

Huh! 

STEVE 

You  was  in  the  kitchen  at  your  house,  an*  I  came  to 
take  yer  to  a  dance  down  to  the  Port. 

HELEN 

It  was  New  Year's  night.  It  had  been  snowin',  and 
it  was  so  lovely  in  the  moonlight.  You  pulled  me 
all  the  way  on  your  sled,  down  to  the  Port!  (She 
drops  mto  the  chair  opposite  him,  and  bends  eagerly 
across  the  table)  It  was  a  big  party,  the  only  big 
one  I  ever  went  to,  before  or  since.  It  was  the  first 
time  I  'd  ever  waltzed,  I  mean  before  folks,  with  a 
man.  I  remember  how  it  scared  me,  it  seemed  so  bold ! 

STEVE 

There 's   dances   now   that 's   worse   than   waltzing ! 

You  '11  see  'em  in  New  York. 
HELEN 

My  goodness!     (She  rises  hastily)     I  almost  forgot 

New  York. 
STEVE  (slowly) 

Helen !    I  want  you  not  to  go  ! 

HELEN 

Talkin*  about  —  about  that  old  red  dress  of  mine  has 
made  us  sort  of  sentimental.  I  guess  you  don't 
mean  that,  Steve! 


104    •  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  m 

STEVE 

I  do.     You  didn't  act  right,  Helen,  but  I  '11  try  and 
forget  it. 

HELEN 

And  you  '11  let  Kate  take  the  money  and  go,  like  I 
always  planned  she  should! 

STEVE 

She  '11  be  all  right  here. 

HELEN 

She's  going,  Steve!     That's  settled!     As  for  me, 

it 's  for  you  to  say. 
STEVE   ( angrily) 

I  say  she  ain't  goin'! 
HELEN  (coldly) 

Yes,  she  is,  and  so  am  I.     You  'd  better  eat  your 

supper. 

STEVE 

I  won't!  (He  pushes  Ms  chair  away  and  rises  an 
grily)  I  can't !  To  hell  with  it ! 
[He  exits  to  the  outside,  slamming  the  door.  Helen 
looks  after  him  for  a  moment  tearfully;  then  her 
pride  asserts  itself  and  she  crosses  grimly  to  the 
trunk.  Takmg  her  box  of  treasured  letters  and  pho 
tographs,  she  goes  to  the  stove,  and  lifting  up  one 
of  the  lids  she  dumps  the  whole  mass  into  the  fire. 
Then,  thinking  of  his  photograph,  she  crosses  and 
gets  it  from  the  table  and  returns  firmly  and  throws 
it  into  the  flames,  and  crosses  out  to  hall.  Ben 
Glewiy  comes  to  outside  door  and  knocks.  There  is 
no  answer  and  he  knocks  again.  Kate  enters  from\ 
hall  and  crosses  to  trunk  with  a  bunch  of  keys  in 
her  hand.  She  hears  the  knock. 


ACT  m]  THE  DETOUR  105 

KATE 

Come  in!     (The  door  opens  and  Ben  enters)     Oh! 

It 's  you,  Mr.  Glenny ! 

[She  puts  things  in  trunk  and  clears  away  the  dishes 

on  the  table,  putting  the  bread  away  and  throwing 

the  egg  out. 
BEN 

I  was  lookin'  for  Tom  Lane. 
KATE  (coldly) 

He  doesn't  live  here ! 
BEN 

He  *s  here  a  lot,  and  I  've  got  to  find  him. 
KATE 

He  's  probably  at  his  garage. 
BEN 

No,  he  ain't.     (Kate  crosses  to  the  easel  and  takes 

her  painting  and  puts  it   on   table.     Ben  sees  it) 

What's  that? 

KATE 

My  painting. 
BEN  (looks  at  it) 

It 's  nice. 
KATE 

Thank  you. 

BEN 

It 's  as  good  as  some  photographs. 

[Kate  starts  to  cover  the  painting  with  stout  paper. 
KATE 

You  flatter  me.     I  am  going  to  take  this  to  New 

York  with  me.     Mother  and  I  are  going  in  about 

half  an  hour. 
BEN 

What  are  you  going  to  take  it  to  New  York  for? 


106  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  m 

KATE 

To  sell  it !    (He  grins)    Don't  you  believe  I  can? 

BEN 

Yes,  I  do!  Ain't  they  the  darndest  fools!  (He 
crosses  to  door)  If  Tom  comes,  tell  him  I  've  got  to 
see  him. 

[He  exits  to  outdoors.  Kate,  who  is  covering  her 
painting  with  paper,  stops  and  looks  about  for  some 
thing  to  fasten  it  with.  She  crosses  to  hall  door, 
and  raising  her  voice,  calls  to  her  mother. 

KATE 

Mother!     Mother!    Where's  some  string? 

HELEN  (upstairs) 
Up  here! 

KATE 

I  'm  coming ! 

She  runs  out.  Steve  wanders  in  from  outdoors  and 
stops  m  front  of  the  clock  and  scowls  at  it,  thenl 
crosses  to  the  cupboard  and  butters  the  end  of  the 
half  loaf  of  bread,  and  cuts  a  slice.  And  he  is  about 
to  bite  into  it,  there  is  a  knock  on  the  door.  He 
pauses,  with  his  mouth  open,  and  looks  angrily 
toward  door  as  the  knock  is  repeated.  He  puts  his 
bread  down  with  a  patient  sigh  and  crosses  and  opens 
door.  Dana  and  Dora  Lamont  are  discovered,  as 
they  stand  in  the  doorway. 

DORA 

We  want  to  speak  to  Mrs.  Hardy.  I  am  Mrs.  La 
mont. 

STEVE 

She  left  the  eggs,  they  're  in  this  basket.  (He  crosses 
and  gets  basket  from  table)  She  said  you  'd  be 
over  for  'em  in  the  mornin';  it  will  be  ninety  cents. 


ACT  m]  THE  DETOUR  107 

DORA 

Ninety?     Why  I  have  only  been  paying  your  wife 
eighty-five ! 
STEVE 

Eggs  is  up. 

DORA 

Give  him  ninety  cents,  please,  Dana. 

[She  takes  the  basket  from  Steve  as  Dana  hunts  in 

his  pocket,  then  draws  out  a  roll  of  bills. 
DANA 

I  *ve  nothing  less  than  a  dollar.     (He  holds  out  a 

dollar  bill)     You  can  collect  next  time  or  you  may 

owe  me  ten  cents. 
STEVE  (takes  the  dollar) 

Looks  like  it  would  be  fairer  if  I  was  to  owe  you  ten. 

cents. 

DORA 

No.  (She  hunts  m  her  bag  and  finds  the  change) 
Give  him  back  the  dollar;  here  is  the  right  change. 

STEVE 

Just  as  you  say.  (He  returns  the  dollar  to  Dana 
and  takes  the  change;  counting  it  carefully,  he  drops 
it  in  his  pocket)  My  wife's  upstairs  if  you  want 
to  see  her,  but  she  an'  my  daughter  are  going  to 
New  York  in  just  a  few  minutes. 

DORA 

They  wanted  Mr.  Lament  to  look  at  a  painting. 

STEVE 

Oh?    (He  turns  to  Dana)    You  're  an  artist? 

DANA 
Yes. 

STEVE 

I  'm  glad  you  're  here.     I  got  a  reason  for  wantin' 


108  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  in 

you  to  look  at  Kate's  picture!  I  guess  this  is  it. 
(He  crosses  to  table  and  removes  the  wrapping- 
paper  and  turns  the  picture  over)  Yes  —  there 
it  is. 

DANA 

Yes. 

[He  crosses  and  stands  looking  down  at  the  paint 
ing. 

DORA  (with  hwn) 

The  mother  is  so  ambitious  for  her,  Dana.  I  want 
you  to  like  it,  if  you  can! 

[There  is  a  pause,  during  which  Dana  looJcs  at  the 
painting.  Kate  enters  behind  them,  unnoticed,  and 
stands  m  the  door,  looking  on  anxiously. 

STEVE 
Well? 

DANA  (gravely,  to  Steve) 

You  said  you  had  a  reason  for  wanting  me  to  see 
this.  What  was  your  reason? 

STEVE 

I  guess  no  man  knows  less  about  art,  and  such  as 
that,  than  me;  but  it  happens  to  be  a  bit  of  land 
around  here  she  painted,  and  I  know  land. 

DANA 

Your  opinion  should  be  of  as  much  value,  then,  as 
my  own  —  what  do  you  think  of  this  yourself? 

STEVE  (slowly) 

Somehow,  it  seems  to  me  it  don't  look  like  it  ought  — 
not  just  like — I  don't  know  —  it's  Tom  Lane's 
twenty  acres  all  right  —  but  it  don't  look  just  like 
it  was  alive,  somehow,  does  it? 

DANA   (gravely) 
No. 


ACT  m]  THE  DETOUR  109 

STEVE 

It 's  grass,  but  it  ain't  growing  grass ;  there  's  the 
spring  wheat,  but  you  can't  somehow  think  of  its 
ever  ripening  —  like  wheat  does. 
DANA 
No. 

STEVE 

Do  you  mean  she  can't  paint? 

DANA 

I  am  afraid 

[Kate  gives  a  moan  of  anguish,  and  Dora  turns  and 
sees  her. 

DORA  (sharply) 
Dana! 

[The  two  men  look  around,  and  see  her;  there  is  a 
pause.  Kate  comes  forward,  trembling,  looking  from 
one  to  another.  They  all  are  distressed  and  uneasy. 

STEVE 

I  —  I  was  speakin9  to  this  gentleman  here  about  your 
picture.  He  was  sayin'  it  was  pretty  good,  real 
good  he  seemed  to  think  it  was,  for  —  for  a  girl  that 
hadn't  had  much  teachin*  —  I  —  I  got  to  see  if 
my  stock  's  all  fixed  for  the  night.  (He  crosses 
toward  door)  He  liked  that  picture  real  well;  he'll 
tell  you  so  himself,  if  you  ask  him. 
[He  exits.  Kate  comes  slowly  down  and  looks  at> 
her  painting. 

DORA 

My  husband  will  tell  you  how  very  nice 

KATE 

Please!  (She  puts  out  her  hand  sharply,  and  Dora 
stops.  Kate  bends  over  picture)  It  doesn't  look 
—  alive  —  he  said  —  that's  grass,  but  it  doesn't 


110  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  in 

seem  to  grow!  I  wonder!  —  (She  looks  at  Dana) 
Was  he  right  ?  I  want  to  know  the  truth.  Can't 
I  paint? 

DANA 

That  might  mean  so  many  things. 
KATE 

No,  there  's  only  one  thing  it  can  mean !    Have  I  a 

talent,  a  real  talent,  like  my  mother  's  always  told 

me? 
DANA 

I  am  sorry,  I  am  afraid  you  haven't. 
KATE 

If  I  worked  hard  —  and  I  would  —  if  I  had  good 

teachers,  couldn't  they  teach  me  to  be  an  artist? 
DANA 

That  is  something  that  can't  be  taught;  one  is  or 

is  n't. 

KATE 

And  I'm  — I'm  — not? 

DANA 

I  see  nothing  here  but  the  conventional  schoolgirl 
water  color.  Your  color  and  drawing  you  could 
improve,  but  there  is  nothing  here  to  justify  the 
effort. 

KATE 

No  talent?     Nothing? 

DANA 

I  am  sorry ! 

KATE 

You  have  been  honest  —  you  are  a  man  who  knows. 
DANA 

It  hasn't  been  an  easy  thing  to  say. 


ACT  m]  THE  DETOUR  111 

KATE 

I  — I  don't  just  seem  to  know  what  to  do. 

DORA 

My  poor  child! 

[She  comes  forward  with  ready  sympathy. 

KATE 

No!  {She  draws  away)  I  had  to  know!  You  see, 
it  means  so  much  to  us,  to  mother  and  me,  we've 

planned  so  long !    I 

[She  breaks  down  and  turns  and  almost  runs  out 
doors. 

DORA  (to  Dana) 

You  brute !     You  could  have  lied  to  her. 

DANA 

About  anything  else. 

DORA 

There  're  other  things  in  the  world  besides  your 
paints  and  brushes ! 

DANA 

For  girls  like  her.  1 11  take  the  eggs.  (He  takes 
the  basket)  Poor  kid! 

DORA 

You  are  absolutely  heartless ! 

DANA 

New  York  is  full  of  them,  breaking  their  hearts,  — 
painters,  musicians,  writers,  men  and  women  who 
want  to  create  something  and  who  can't.  Wanting 
to  do  it  doesn't  help  much ;  even  trying  doesn't  — 
when  it  is  n't  there !  We  '11  get  the  butter  in  the 
morning. 

[They  exit  together  to  the  outside.  In  a  moment 
Steve,  Tom  and  Ben  Glenny  pass  the  window  and  en 
ter  through  the  same  door. 


112  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  m 

BEN 

I  know  it  *s  hard,  Tom,  an'  it 's  a  thing  I  ain't  even 
got  used  to  really  relish  doin',  but  it 's  part  of  my 
job! 

STEVE 

Seems  like  they  might  have  given  the  boy  a  chance. 

BEN" 

Eight  hundred  dollars  is  a  lot  of  money ! 
TOM 

I  can't  pay  it,  not  now ;  mebby  I  could  if  they  'd 

give  me  time. 
BEN 

The   writ   of   attachment   don't    say   nothin'   about 

givin'  any  time !    I  '11  have  to  ask  you  f er  the  keys 

to  your  garage,  Tom.     I  take  formal  possession  ac- 

cordin'  to  the  law.    Here  's  ther  writ. 

[He  sliows  paper. 
TOM 

It'  s  the  damned  detour  that  done  it<i    If  they  hadn't 

known  about  that,  they  'd  have  waited  till  cash  was 

comin'  in! 
BEN 

An'  the  aggrayatin'  part  of  it  is  they  ain't  goin'  to 

be  no  detour  I 
TOM 

What? 

BEN 

I  just  got  word  the  road's  open  again;  they  decided 
not  to  fix  it  till  next  fall.     Seems  the  summer  folks 
have  been  objectin'! 
TOM 

The  road  's  open ! 


ACT  m]  THE  DETOUR  113 

BEN 

Yes. 

TOM 

And  you  're  attachin*  my  garage ! 
BEN 

Less  you  can  pay  me  eight  hundred  dollars. 
TOM 

Damned   if   I   ain't   disgusted!      Talk    about   luck! 

Lost   my   garage!      Lost    everything!      Just   by    a 

day! 

[Helen  enters  with  her  hat  on  and  a  small  old-fash 
ioned  traveling  bag  in  her  hand. 

HELEN 

Where  is  Kate !     It  's  time  we  started ! 
STEVE 

I  ain't  seen  her ! 

HELEN 

Somebody  *s  got  to  get  that  trunk  to  the  station. 

Is  your  car  here,  Mr.  Glenny  ? 
BEN 

Sure,  I  '11  fetch  it  down. 
STEVE   (coldly  to  Helen) 

So  you  're  goin'  ? 

HELEN 

Yes  —  you  an'  Tom  carry  the  trunk  out,  an'  put  it 

in  Mr.  Glenny's  car.     Hurry  up. 
STEVE 

I  don't  know  as 

HELEN  (locks  trunk) 

Well,  I  do !     It 's  the  last  favor  I  'm  ever  goin'  to 

ask  of  either  one  of  you,  an'  I  guess  it  won't  hurt 

you  none ! 


114  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  m 

STEVE 

No,  I  don't  know  as  it  would  hurt  us  none.     Come 

on,  Tom! 

[Steve  and  Tom  pick  up  trunk. 

HELEN 

Put  it  right  in  the  car.     I  '11  get  a  check  for  it  at 

the    station.       (Kate    enters    from    outside)       Oh! 

There  you  are,  Kate,  Mr.  Glenny  's  goin'  to  take  us 

down.     Hurry  and  get  your  hat. 
BEN 

Wait  a  minute,  Tom.     I  got  to  ask  you  for  them 

keys. 
TOM 

Oh,  yes. 

[He  and  Steve  set  the  trunk  down  and  Tom  takes 

out  a  bunch  of  keys  and  starts  to  take  one  key 

off. 

STEVE 

It 's  pretty  hard  on  Tom  1 

HELEN 

What  is? 

STEVE 

Ben  Glenny  's  got  an  attachment  on  his  place ;  he  's 
takin'  possession. 

HELEN 

Oh,  I  *m  sorry ! 
TOM 

An'  ther  road  's  open !     I  'd  'a*  made  big  money ; 
now  I  'm  done  for? 

HELEN 

Can't  somethin'  be  done  about  it? 
BEN 

Not  without  I  'm  paid  eight  hundred  dollars. 


ACT  m]  THE  DETOUR  115 

KATE 

I  '11  pay  it. 

HELEN 

What  are  you  talkin*  about? 

KATE 

You  said  it  was  my  money!  (She  shows  the  roll  of 
bills)  I  'm  going  to  pay  it. 

HELEN 

You  can't ! 

KATE 

I  'm  going  to !     That 's  all ! 
[She  starts  to  count  money. 

HELEN 

But  that  only  leaves  us  two  hundred  dollars ! 

KATE 

You  can  have  that !     I  don't  want  it !     Here  's  the 

eight  hundred,  Mr.  Glenny ! 

[Ben  takes  the  money  and  starts  to  count  it. 

HELEN 

But  how  can  we  live  till  you  get  so  's  you  can  sell 
your  paintings ! 

KATE 

Sell  my  paintings  !  Ha  !  ha !  ha !  Sell  my  grass 
that  doesn't  grow,  and  my  wheat  that  will  never 
ripen !  Mr.  Glenny  here  said  they  were  all  fools 
in  New  York.  They  'd  have  to  be  to  buy  any  picture 
I  ever  painted! 

HELEN 

Do  you  know  what  you  're  sayin'? 

KATE 

Mr.  Lament  was  here!  Father  made  him  look  at 
that!  (She  points  to  the  painting  on  table)  At 
that  awful,  awful  thing! 


116  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  ra 

HELEN 

He  saw  it? 

KATE 

And  he  said  it  was  bad!     He  said  it  was  hopeless. 

No  talent !     Nothing !    Never  —  never  in  all  my  life 

will  I  paint  again!     Never!     Never! 
TOM  (sincerely  touched) 

He  told  you  that!     The  damned  brute!     He  hurt 

you  like  that !    Oh,  my  poor  little  girl  —  I  *m  sorry ! 

[He  holds  out  his  arms  to  her,  and  she  runs  into 

them*,  clinging  to  him. 
KATE 

Be  good  to  me,  Tom!    Comfort  me!    Help  me! 
TOM  (pets  her) 

There  —  there  —  don't  you  cry ! 
HELEN 

Said  you  couldn't  paint !    It  ain't  so  !     It  ain't !    It 

can't  be !    We  won't  give  up ! 
STEVE  (turns  on  her  sternly) 

Hush !    Can't  you  see  she  *s  f eelin'  bad ! 
TOM  (arms  about  Kate) 

You  'd  ought  to  be  ashamed !     Makin'  more  trouble 

at  a  time  like  this? 
KATE 

You  mustn't  speak  like  that,  Tom.     (She  turns  se 
verely  to  Helen)     But  he  's  right,  mother!     It  's  all 

your  fault !    I  never  would  have  thought  of  painting 

if  it  hadn't  been  for  you ! 
TOM 

I  guess  the  less  we  say  about  it  the  better,  so  long 

as  it  turned  out  ah1  right. 
STEVE 

That 's  what  I  say !     Let  bygones  be  bygones ! 


ACT  m]  THE  DETOUR  117 

HELEN 

I  won't  believe  it !    I  can't.    You  ain't  going  to  give 
that  money  to  Tom  Lane ;  the  money  I  've  slaved 
for  all  these  37ears  !    I  won't  let  you  do  it !    We  won't 
give  up,  we  '11  keep  on  tryin' ! 
KATE 

I  won't.    I  couldn't. 

HELEN 

I  say  he  can't  have  it. 
TOM 

All  right.     I  won't  be  under  any  favors  to  yer,  if 

you  feel  that  way   about   it!     Give  her  back  the 

money,  Ben! 
BEN 

Just  as  you  say.     (He  hands  the  money  to  Kate) 

Settle  it  among  yerselves. 
TOM 

Now  she  's  got  it,  an'  I  tell  yer  somethin'  yer  can't 

stop,  Mrs.  Hardy?     Supposin'  she  was  to  give  all 

that   money   to    her   own   father,    an'   supposin'   he 

was  to  give  it  to  me  as  a  payment  on  my  twenty 

acres ! 
STEVE 

Now  you  're  talkin' ! 
KATE   (givvng  him  money) 

That's  just  what  I  '11  do. 

HELEN 

And  he  '11  have  more  land  to  pay  taxes  and  interest 
on  all  our  lives,  and  you  '11  have  your  garage  — • 
,and  you  '11  have  her,  my  daughter ! 
TOM 

Everybody  will  have  what  they  Ve  allers  wanted ;  no- 


118  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  m 

body  will  lose  nothin'  at  all,  unless  maybe  it  's  you, 
and  all  you  '11  lose  is  just  a  dream. 

HELEN" 

That 's  all. 

[She  sits  heavily  by  table. 
STEVE   (to  Ben) 

Here  ?s  yer  eight  hundred.     You  can  fix  that  bill  of 

sale  the  first  thing  in  the  morniri*. 
BEN  (writes  receipt) 

Just  so  long  as  everybody  's  satisfied.     Here ! 

[He  hands  receipt  to  Tom. 
TOM 

All  right.     Have  them  papers  ready  early. 

[He  and  Kate  walk  to  door  with  Ben. 

BEN 

About  ten. 
TOM 

Kate  an'  her  father  '11  bring  'em  down,  I  figgur  on 
bein'  busy  with  my  garage. 
[Kate,  Tom  and  Ben  exit. 

STEVE 

I  hope  this  '11  be  a  warnin'  to  yer,  Helen.  You 
might  have  made  a  lot  of  trouble,  if  it  hadn't  been 
for  me  and  Tom ! 

[Ben  comes  to  door,  in  his  hand  the  board  on  which 
is  painted  Detour. 
BEN  (holds  up  board) 

Here  's  the  end  of  this.     I  pulled  it  down. 

HELEN 

And  everything  is  just  the  same  as  it  was  be 
fore? 

BEN 

That's  right, 


ACT  m]  THE  DETOUR  119 

HELEN 

Just  the  same  as  it  always  will  be! 
BEN 

You  bet;  good  evenin'. 

[He  exits. 
HELEN  (very  low) 

God  —  help  —  me ! 
STEVE  (looks  at  clock) 

I  bet  that  clock  ?s  slow ! 

HELEN 

Slow?     (She  looks  up  at  the  clock)     I  guess  not; 

mebby  you  're  hungry. 
STEVE 

It 's  later  *n  I  like  waiting. 
HELEN  (rises) 

I  '11  fix  you  a  good  hot  supper. 

[As  she  crosses,  he  steps  in  front  of  her,  holding  out 

the  ninety  cents  he  takes  from  his  pocket. 
STEVE 

Here. 

HELEN 

What? 

STEVE 

That  Mrs.  Lamont  left  it ;  it  *s  your  egg  money. 

HELEN 

I  thought  the  hens  was  yours. 

STEVE  • 

After  this,  I  want  you  should  have  ther  egg  money 
for  yourself. 

HELEN 

The  trouble  is  that  after  this  I  won't  have  no  use 
for  money,  Steve. 


120  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  m 

STEVE 

I  '11  put  it  here.  (He  puts  It  on  table)  I  'd  feel 
better  if  you  took  it ;  it  *s  only  ninety  cents ! 

HELEN" 

Ninety  cents  for  a  dozen  eggs!     I  told  you  to  say 
eighty-five ! 
STEVE 

I  know,  an*  I  tried  to  say  it,  only  somehow  it  came 
out  ninety. 

HELEN 

Mebby  you  was  the  one  that  should  have  gone  to 
New  York.  (She  crosses  to  Steve  and  starts  to 
work)  Ham  and  eggs  is  best,  I  guess.  I  suppose 
she  '11  want  Tom  to  stay. 

STEVE 

That  looks  like  it,  don't  it?  (He  points  out  window 
to  where  Tom  and  Kate  stand  in  the  glow  of  the  sum 
mer  sunset.  Tom's  arm  is  about  Kate,  her  head  is 
on  his  shoulders)  See  how  happy  they  are! 

HELEN 

Yes  —  I  know  —  right  how. 

STEVE 

They  look  nice,  don't  they?     And  in  a  year  or  so 
maybe   there  '11   be   a   baby.      (She   turns    at    this, 
startled)     Yes  —  of  course  there  '11  be  a  baby,  — 
a  girl,  I  hope ;  girls  are  easier  managed.    Yes,  I  hope 
it 's  a  girl ;  girls  stay  at  home. 

HELEN 

Yes,  girls  stay  at  home! 

STEVE 

I  sort  to  like  to  think  about  it,  don't  you? 
[He  drops  into  chair. 


ACT  m]  THE  DETOUR  121 

HELEN  (thoughtfully) 
A  girl! 

STEVE 

You  *re  a  good  woman,  Helen.     I  sort  of  hope  she 
favors  you. 

HELEN 

Another  girl!     Life  sort  of  keeps  goin'  on  forever, 
don't  it?     (She  crosses  to  table)     Steve? 
STEVE 

Yes? 

HELEN 

I  guess  I  might  as  well  keep  the  egg  money. 
[She  draws  the  empty  jug  m  which  she  had  so  long 
kept  her  treasure  to  her  and  slowly  picks  up  the 
coins. 
STEVE  (amused) 

Goin'  to  start  savin'  up  again? 

HELEN 

I  might. 

[She  drops  the  first  coin  into  the  empty  jug.     It 
falls  with  a  clatter  against  the  china  bottom. 
STEVE 

What  for? 

HELEN 

Oh  —  it  might  come  in  handy  —  some  day. 
[She  drops  the  others. 
STEVE 

What  for? 

HELEN 

Oh  —  I  don't  know. 

STEVE 

I  do!     (He  looks  at  her  with  a  broad  grm)     I  bet 


122  THE  DETOUR  [ACT  m 

I  do !  For  her !  For  the  baby  that  ain't  even  born 
yet.  Ha  !  Ha,  ha,  ha,  ah  ha ! 

[But  his  loud,  coarse  laughter  does  not  hurt  her. 
Site  is  standing,  her  face  glorified,  looking  out  into 
the  future,  her  heart  swelling  with  eternal  hope. 


THE  END 


